


Amnesia

by Lastsyns



Series: Amnesia [1]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Aggression, Amnesia, Anal Sex, Confusion, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Frottage, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Morning Cuddles, Rape Aftermath, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sleepy Cuddles, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-25
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-03-08 23:54:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 49
Words: 88,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3228272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lastsyns/pseuds/Lastsyns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after Journey's End, The Doctor returns to Torchwood hub with no memories. Alone and confused can his friends help him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He was running again. He was sure that he had been running his whole life, but this time it was different. He wasn't running for the thrill, or to escape danger. He was running because he was afraid and he couldn't remember why.

He was running through endless corridors of an impossible place and every corridor, no matter how fast he ran, always returned him to the same place. The circular room with the large console in the middle. The buttons and levers on it endless and confusing. He had tried several times to reach the door at the other end but every time the room had hummed angrily at him and tilted, throwing him to the floor.

So instead of heading to the door, he turned and ran the opposite direction again, desperately looking for somebody, anybody who could help him. Room after room suggested that people had been in the place. But the place was empty, he was alone, so very alone. He was terrified. He wanted somebody, anybody, who could help him. He didn't realize that he was the reason he was alone.

"I was going to stay with you forever," Donna had told him. She had been the best friend, he had ever had. If only he could remember her.

-DW-

Jack was trying to concentrate on the paperwork in front of him, but his mind was on the Time Lord. Ever since the Doctor had returned the Earth to its rightful place he had been in and out of Torchwood hub every couple of days. Jack knew that he was lonely but he refused to stay more than one night at a time and when he left, he always left alone.

Jack liked to think that the Doctor coming to visit with him was more than just friendship but he knew he was deluding himself. The Doctor enjoyed Jack's company and they would spend long hours talking or inventorying artifacts and alien technology that had come through the rift. The Doctor often shared his bed as well but under a separate blanket, as close to the other edge as possible. Jack suspected the only reason he stayed at all was to keep the nightmares at bay and they both had their fair share of them.

But it had been almost two weeks since he had seen the Doctor and he knew something was wrong. He had tried to call the TARDIS and the phone had just rang with no reply. He wished there was some other way to contact the Doctor but with all space and time as his playground there was no way to know where he was at.

He was just about to give up on his work and talk Ianto into making him a coffee when he heard the familiar thrum of the TARDIS landing. He stood up and rushed out of the room to the main hub where the TARDIS was materializing next to the rift manipulator. He waited until she landed completely, before rushing to the doors. He tried to open them and was surprised to find them locked. He reached into his pocket and retrieved the key and opened the door.

"Hey Doc..." He began pausing when he saw the control room empty. He looked around it and his stomach did a flip as he saw the blood. There were drops of it leading from a small puddle by the console. The puddle was nearly dried. He turned and stuck his head off the TARDIS. 

"Martha, you need to get in here, something is wrong," he called out before heading back onto the TARDIS.

"Doctor," he called out. "Doctor, it's me Jack, where are you?" He looked around and started to head towards the corridors. He stopped when he saw confused eyes staring back at him. The person was peeking around from the corridors staring at Jack in the control room. Jack couldn't help but notice their hair was caked in blood that had dripped down their face.

"Doctor," Jack asked him softly. He received no reaction except for the man blinking at him. Martha came slowly up behind Jack.

"Is that the Doctor," she asked her voice quiet as she quickly took in the situation.

"I think so," Jack whispered back. "But he seems confused and I think he is seriously injured." He motioned at the blood on the floor. Martha nodded and stepped forward slowly.

"It's okay Doctor, we're your friends," she told him stopping at the steps leading down to where the Doctor was standing. "Come on out so I can make sure you are okay." The Doctor responded but Martha turned to look at Jack.

"I didn't understand him, did you?" she asked Jack. Jack shook his head no. She turned back to the Doctor. "You're not speaking English sweetheart and the TARDIS isn't translating. We can't understand you."

He spoke again sounding more desperate as his eyes darted back and forth from Martha to Jack. The confusion in his eyes was quickly giving away to fear and he backed up several steps.

"I think he is speaking Gallifreyan," Jack commented to Martha. "It's the only language the TARDIS won't translate." Martha nodded and then made a gesture for the Doctor to come to her. 

"Come on Doctor, it's okay we are your friends," She said softly and was relieved when the Doctor took a tiny step forward. She kept talking to him softly until the Doctor emerged from the corridors. Jack gasped when the Doctor came fully into view. He was covered in blood and dirt. His clothes were tattered and there was a significant cut on his arm that looked as though he had been cut by a knife. His head had to have been cut as well but his hair was so matted it made it impossible to tell for sure where, or how badly. He had both of his shoes off and his feet were bleeding. He was limping as he walked towards Martha.

"That's right Doctor." She smiled warmly at him. "Jack can you go and get him some clean clothes?" She asked not taking her eyes off the Doctor. "I am going to get him to the autopsy room so that I can examine him."

"Are you sure he will follow you?" Jack wondered.

"I don't know but I have to try. We can't leave him here like this." Jack left the TARDIS and went to the room he shared with the Doctor. He went to grab a suit. Thinking better of it and got a clean pair of pajamas instead. He took them down to the autopsy room and laid them on the bed before heading back to the TARDIS. The Doctor was standing in the same place as when Jack had left and Martha was still trying to coax him forward. When he saw Jack again, he took a small step forward. 

"That's right Doctor," Martha said happily. "Jack, I think you should stay nearby."

Together the two of them got the Doctor to the TARDIS doors, but as they tried to get him to step off of them he turned and tried to run back into the TARDIS. Jack grabbed his arms and the Doctor cried out.

"I am sorry," Jack apologized. He wrapped his arms around the Doctor's waist as the Doctor kicked and screamed against him. He carried the struggling man off the TARDIS and Martha closed the door tightly behind them. The Doctor began to speak frantically again, almost as though he was begging them but the words were lost as they couldn't understand him.

Martha continued to talk soothingly to him as together they managed to get him to the autopsy room. Jack sat him down on the examine table. He released him and the Doctor jumped off and immediately tried to run again.

"Can't you sedate him?" Jack asked Martha. He wrestled the Doctor down to the floor. The Doctor kicked and screamed in his arms. 

"He's not going to like it," Martha replied as she got into her cabinet. She pulled out a medication she had used on him before. He hated being sedated but he had told her how on one of their many trips together, in case she ever had to. Up until now she had just gotten away with numbing the area and giving him a few stitches until he healed but as he fought she saw no other choice. She filled the syringe with the medicine. She couldn't get to his arm though as he continued to struggle against Jack. Thinking quickly she called Mickey into the room. Mickey froze as he entered the room and saw the three of them struggling.

"Grab his arm," Martha called to him. He snapped out of it. Reacting quickly he grabbed the Time Lord's arm as Martha jabbed it with the syringe. The Doctor cried out in pain, thrashing harder. As the medicine started to take affect his movements became sluggish and he began to whimper. Jack's heart broke as the Doctor stared at him with confusion as his eyes closed.

"Any idea what happened to him? Why he was acting like that?" Jack asked Martha concerned as he lifted the sleeping Time Lord up on to the table.

"I will know more once I examine him," Martha answered calmly and then looked Jack straight in the eyes. "Jack if you are going to stay in the room. I am going to need for you to remain calm. You cannot show your anger. He could awaken at any moment, he has a very strong resistance to being sedated and if he does wake up, you being mad won't help matters."

"Why would think I would get angry?" Jack wondered curiously. Martha lifted the Doctor's sleeve up to reveal a deep laceration consistent with being shackled. She saw the anger cross Jack's face. "How did you know?" He questioned through clenched teeth.

"I saw them when he was fighting you," She replied pushing his sleeve back down. "Now take a moment to compose yourself or I am going to ask you to leave."

"I am the boss around here," Jack snapped.

"Yes and he is my patient," Martha replied not even blinking an eye at Jack's reaction. Jack took a deep breath and relaxed his face as best he could.

"Now since he fights any sort of sedation quickly, first I am going to take care of the wound to his head. Then we will work our way down," Martha advised Jack as she grabbed a small pan on water and a soft cloth. She began to gently clean his head looking for the source of the blood.

"I want a complete list of his injuries," Jack told her, as he watched her work.

"Why?" She turned the Doctor's head to the side and continued her work.

"So I know what I need to do to those bastards when I see them," Jack replied his voice strangely calm. Martha just nodded without responding to Jack's threat.

"Can you hand me the razor? I am going to have to shave his head," She told Jack. Jack handed her the razor, watching as she carefully shaved the long brown hair. The Doctor would be upset with her shaving his head as he was vane about his spiky hair. Jack though swallowed hard as he realized the Doctor may not even notice. Martha finished with the razor and then took a clean cloth to his head once more, wiping off the blood as well as bits of hair. With his head clean she was able to see the two deep bruises on his head. One was near the top of the back of his head and looked as though it had been made with a heavy blunt object. The cut was very tiny. The other cut was closer to his forehead and that one was small but was also the one causing all the blood. Martha quickly closed it with a couple of stitches. She then bandaged both of the head injuries.

With Jack's help, she stripped the clothing off of the Doctor. As she examined him, she explained his injuries to Jack as she went. He had extensive bruising across his chest and down his hips. There were deep lacerations on both wrist and his ankles as well as bruising surrounding the cuts. His right arm had multiple puncture marks from being stabbed with a needle. She grabbed a syringe and took a sample of his blood to find out if there was anything in his system still. She cleaned the cuts out well, using a powerful antiseptic. She then bandaged them all. She stitched the knife wound on his left bicep and cleaned the shallow cuts on feet from the metal grating on the TARDIS. Whether or not he had shoes when he got back to the TARDIS from his ordeal, was unclear.

With Jack's help she gently turned him on his stomach and examined the bruising on his back and down the back of his body. She turned pale as she made her way down the back of his body and then looked up at Jack.

"I am going to give him an antibiotic injection. Then let's get him dressed before he wakes up," she said quickly, the composer she had used to explain his injuries to Jack completely gone. She hurried to the cupboard. Filling the syringe with the antibiotic, she returned to find Jack looking curiously at the Doctor. She quickly but carefully inserted the needle into the top of the Doctor's bottom. He moaned softly and she made a gentle shushing noise as she injected the fluid to help protect against infection from his many cuts. Pulling out the needle, she capped it, throwing it in the sharp waste container. Jack handed her the Doctor's clothes and helped her dress him.

"What made you suddenly lose it?" He asked his voice deathly calm. They turned the Doctor onto his back once more to finish dressing him. 

"Not now," she responded as she buttoned the Doctor's shirt. She took an IV out of the cupboard. She inserted the needle into the Doctor's hand. Almost as soon as it was in place, his other hand began to inch towards it.

"Don't you dare take that out," she told him sternly. She looked up at his face and noticed his eyes were open a crack. He was looking right at her as his hand continued towards the IV. He paused and then slowly began to pick at the tape. She sighed, taking his hand she moved it away from the needle. He didn't hesitate as his hand drifted back to his other arm, this time to scratch the bandages. She chuckled as she moved his hand again.

"Stop it Doctor, scratching is only going to make it worse." she informed him softly. He glared at her. Jack leaned over and gently stroked his cheek. 

"Why don't you get some more sleep, sweetheart, you look exhausted." The Doctor stared at him confused so Jack pretended to yawn and then laid his head down on his hand closing his eyes. When he opened them again the Doctor laid his head down on the pillow, pulling the blanket up. He closed his eyes and was out quickly again.

"Come talk to me, Martha," Jack said. He led Martha up to his office. She followed him in and sat on the opposite side of his desk as he closed the door. Going around the desk he flopped into his favorite chair. He kicked back placing his feet up on the desk. "Tell me your opinion."

"He has wounds on his arms and legs suggesting he was shackled in place, the bruising on his body is consistent with being hit rather than falling. The knife wound was shallow but suggest the attacker tried to stab him. He was most likely drugged and I have drawn blood to be sure. That with the two head wounds may account for his current state of mind," She informed Jack.

"What else?" Jack asked looking up at the ceiling.

"That's it," Martha replied.

"No," Jack told her simply

"No?" She questioned, trying to sound confused. 

"No," Jack stated again. "You saw something and now you are trying to hide it from me." Martha looked away from Jack, towards the door, when she looked back Jack had taken his feet off of the desk and was leaning forward to look at Martha.

"He has cuts and bruising, that suggest he had intercourse against his will while captured," she told him quickly.

"You mean he was raped?" Jack clarified and Martha nodded her agreement. "Well then that makes my list simple, because when I meet whoever did this I am going to kill them."

The door to the office opened and both their heads shot over to look at the intruder. The Doctor smiled at them. He was still in his pajamas and he had taken the IV out. Martha shook her head at him and frowned.

"Somethings never change."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doctor's POV

He was afraid. He had wanted somebody, anybody to join him in the endless corridors that he was running through, but as he peeked around the corner at the impossible man standing before him he wanted to hide again. The man seemed to have light and time bend around him. While that fascinated him, it scared him at the same time. The man poked his head back through the doors he wasn't allowed out of and a few moments later a woman joined him. She spoke in a soft voice but he couldn't understand what either of them were saying. Their words bombarded his ears as his mind tried desperately to understand. He had heard their words before but he didn't know where.She came and stood at the edge of the stairs. 

"Who are you? Have you come to take me home?" He asked her and she looked at him confused. He didn't know where his home was but he was hurting and afraid. Home sounded like the best place to go. 

"Please I just want to go home," he said looking at first the woman and then the man. They both just stared at him. She gently gestured for him to come towards her. He hesitated for a moment before he took tiny steps forward on his sore feet. They didn't hurt so much when he ran but after he had stopped they throbbed endlessly.

The woman said something and the man left. He stopped and waited. If the man came back with others he was still far enough away that he could run. He hoped that the corridors would lead him far enough away that he could escape them. When the man returned alone he began to follow them again to the doors. But as he stepped off he saw another strange man and woman staring at him from the side of the room. He turned to head back into the safety of the endless corridors but the man grabbed his arm roughly.

"Please, please just let me go. I won't tell anyone. I just want to go home," he cried out as they drug him into a room where medical equipment was set up. "Please," he cried out again. The man sat him down for a moment and he took the opportunity to try to run. He was grabbed quickly again as the second man entered the room. The woman was coming at him with a syringe. The needle terrified him even more as he expected pain to follow it. He cried out as she stabbed him in the arm with it. He just wanted to go home. Rather then feeling pain though, the medicine made him drowsy. He fought going to sleep as the man held him down on the floor. He lost the fight quickly though. 

When he awoke, he was laying flat on his stomach. Fingers were gently trailing down his back. He didn't dare let them know he was awake. *Please no, not again,* he cried out over and over in his mind. But he didn't dare make a sound. He didn't want them to know he was awake. Not yet at least. He couldn't help the whimper that escaped him though as he felt a sharp pain in his backside. The woman was making gentle shushing noises as she injected something into him. He stayed still as they then dressed him and rolled him onto his back again. He felt the pinprick of a needle once more and then the strangeness of it being left. He opened his eyes a crack, frowning when he saw the IV in his hand. He looked at the woman as he moved his hand over to examine it.

She took his hand, moving it back. The bandages on his arms itched and he went to scratch the bandages but yet again she moved his hand. He glared at her. He was itchy and miserable and she kept stopping him. He looked up at the man as the man spoke. He didn't understand him still but he did know what that man mean when he pretended like he had gone to sleep. He could do that. He settled down and closed his eyes, listening closely for them to leave the room.

Once gone he took the needle out of his hand looking around. He quickly rushed up the steps and back to the impossible corridors. He thought the man and woman seemed friendly but this place didn't seem any better then the place he had left as they to liked to stick him with needles. He wasn't feeling any pain from the needles though and they had wrapped the cuts on his body, which confused him. The man before seemed to take joy in his bruises. The two of them wanted to hide them though. Reaching the box, he grabbed the door handle but as he tried to open them he found the doors locked. He pulled on them and then took off as a third man came in the room. He was afraid still and didn't know where to go. He could still feel the impossible man. He seemed like the safest place to go. The man had been tender with him, even as he held him tightly. He decided that he wanted the impossible man again. He followed the feeling of his strangeness until he came to a room where the man and woman were sitting. As he opened the door, he smiled at them she frowned at him and shook her head.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack stared at the grinning Time Lord. He looked happy like a child playing hide and seek. "How could they have done so much damage to him in such a short amount of time?" Jack asked Martha in confusion.

"You forget he has a time machine. It has only been two weeks for us, it could have been months even years for him, before he escaped," Martha reminded Jack. 

"You mean they let him go." Jack responded. Martha looked at him questioningly.

"You think they let him go?" She questioned. 

"The shackle marks mean they had him securely confined. Someone let him go. Either on purpose or by accident." She turned to look back at the Doctor as she heard him shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"If your feet are hurting sit down," she told him and pushed the chair next to her out. He stared at it unsure. She motioned for him to sit again. Slowly, he came over to the chair and sat down pulling his knees to his chest. He ran his hand across his head, whimpering at her.

"Does your head hurt?" She asked him and he just stared at her. "Oh this would be so much easier if you could understand. What do you need?"

"Sleep?" She laid her head in her hands and closed her eyes for a second. He shook his head no. He didn't want to pretend like he was asleep again. 

"Are you hungry?" She rubbed her stomach. He looked at her confused. Jack stood up and left the room. He hadn't even stepped out of the room when the Doctor stood up as well and followed Jack. They both came back a minute later with a couple of bananas.

"Here try this," Jack told Martha as he handed them to her. She broke one off handing it to the Doctor, as he settled back in his chair. He stared at the banana confused. Biting the outside of it, he made a face. It did not taste nice at all. He decided he didn't want it. Holding it out he tried to hand it back to Martha.

"No, you eat it this way," she informed him, before taking it from him and opening it. He watched as she broke off a piece, putting it in her mouth. "MMMM." She smiled. "You try it." He looked at the banana suspiciously as she broke off and ate another piece. He reached out slowly towards the fruit in her hand. Carefully he took a piece off the banana, pulling back quickly with it. He then sniffed it. He licked it and his face lit up as he put the piece in his mouth.

"See you love bananas," she said as she handed him the rest of it.

"He has amnesia?" Jack commented.

"It would seem so," Martha answered as she opened a second banana for the Doctor. "I can't tell you how profound it is unless I could talk to him, but with him speaking Gallifreyan, I am limited in my diagnosis." She shook her head as he reached for a third banana.

"You'll make yourself sick," She lightly scolded. He stuck his bottom lip out and pouted at her. "That isn't going to work on me," she commented and then moved the bananas further away as, not breaking eye contact, he had started to reach for one. "Neither is that." Jack laughed. 

"You're right somethings don't change." The Doctor hearing Jack's voice looked at him happily. He then pointed at the bananas and then back at himself. Jack shook his head no pointing at Martha. "You'll have to take that up with her." The Doctor began to pout again and mumbled something.

"Doctor," Martha sighed. He ignored her. "Doctor," She tried again. Realizing he may not know that as his name, she tapped his leg. He flinched slightly before he looked back at her. "Doctor," She told him, pointing at him. "Martha," She pointed at herself and then pointed to Jack. "Jack."

"Jack," He replied, copying her. "Martha," He pointed to himself and paused.

"Doctor," Martha informed him pleased he was catching on. 

"Doctor?" He whispered softly. Then smiled before his face fell. He looked as though he were going to cry. "Jack," He moaned and then pointed at the bananas again. He looked towards Jack with pleading eyes. Jack laughed.

"Just one more," He agreed. He broke off a third banana from the bunch and opened it before he handed it to the Doctor.

"Softy." Martha laughed as she watched the Doctor devour the third. "He'll make himself sick and you'll be the one to take care of him." She stood up taking the rest of the bananas with her as she left the room. The Doctor finished the banana. Now that Martha wasn't there and there was no food to distract him, he looked around the room happily. Jack stood up and the Doctor stood up. He motioned for the Doctor to follow him out of the room again. He took the Doctor down to their room and the Doctor happily climbed on the bed. He didn't cover up though as he stared at him. 

"Goodnight, sweetheart," Jack said. He turned off the light, starting to leave. He heard the Doctor whimper and then say something. Turning back on the light, he turned to look at him. The Doctor was standing on the bed looking distressed.

"You don't want me to leave do you?" Jack asked. He watched the Doctor sit back on the bed again, watching him intensely. Sighing he went and sat down on the bed next to him. The Doctor laid down resting his head near Jack's leg. "All right I'll stay." Jack whispered calmly as the Time Lord closed his eyes.

-DW-

He was chained to the wall in a dimly lit room. He could see others around him, others who were allowed to move about while he remained chained. A man dressed in a white coat came in flicking a syringe.

"What do you want?" He asked the man. "Please I can help you, you just have to let me go." The man ignored him as he reached up and injected him in the arm. The solution burned his veins as it raced through his body numbing his mind. "Please just let me go." He begged the man as his body began to feel heavy. He felt weak. He tried to fight back as he was taken down from the chains and stripped naked. The man carried him over to a table. He was bent over it with the man holding onto his hips tightly to help support his weight.

"Scream for me," the man whispered in his ear as he felt something hard being pushed into his body. 

-DW-

The Doctor shot up kicking and screaming. He hit the man trying to grab his arms several times before he realized it was Jack. He stopped fighting and started to cry. He crawled onto Jack's lap the best he could wrapping his arms around his neck as he buried his face in Jack chest. He felt Jack wrap his arms around him. He relished in the gentle contact as Jack started to make a comforting shushing noise.

He didn't understand why he felt comfortable with this impossible man. He only knew he didn't want Jack to leave the room, as long as Jack was there he was safe. Still clinging tightly to him, he closed his eyes and returned to his dreams.


	4. Chapter 4

Time - ?

"Let me go with you," Jack tried again as the Doctor dried his hair. His skin was still flushed from his shower and he was only wearing a pair of trousers. 

"Are we going to have this conversation every time?" He asked Jack, slightly irritated. While he appreciated Jack's offer, he didn't want to take anyone after what happened with Donna. His hearts couldn't take losing another companion. "I can't take anyone it is too risky."

"But it's been over a year since you brought a companion. And I don't stay dead," Jack reminded him. The Doctor sighed loudly. Reaching for his clothes that were laying on the bed, he pulled his undershirt on and then grabbed the light blue shirt to put on over it. Jack came over and stood in front of him. Gently moving the Doctor's hands away he started to button the shirt for him. "Please, Doctor, I would feel better knowing you at least have someone to watch over you."

"I don't need anyone else." He pulled his suit jacket on as he looked Jack in the eyes and saw the hurt in them. He felt bad for Jack but not even the man who would live forever deserved to have this hardship on him. He just wanted Jack to be safe. He kissed Jack on the cheek, the closet that he would get to showing any sort of intimacy towards him. Though it broke Jack's heart, he smiled at him.

"I'll just be a few days," The Doctor informed him. 

"Promise?" Jack wondered. He followed the Doctor up the ladder to where the TARDIS was parked. The Doctor didn't answer Jack as he stepped aboard the TARDIS and closed the doors tightly behind him. He leaned against the console taking a deep calming breath, before flicking the monitor screen on to see Jack standing there watching the TARDIS. His hearts began to pound.

"Stop it," He scolded himself. He didn't know when it happened but he wanted Jack close to him. He missed him when he wasn't around and returned time and time to Torchwood just to spend time with him. He shook his head clear and set the controls to random. He looked at the monitor one more time before flicking the lever sending the TARDIS into the time vortex. The TARDIS landed at a military looking base. He was confused as he looked at monitor. 

"Why have you brought me here?" He asked her and she hummed at him in reply. "All right, well Allons-y." He grabbed his coat stepping off the TARDIS. He closed the door tightly behind him. He sighed once more, raising his hands as he was met by a small group of soldiers all pointing rifles at him.

"What is with humans and guns?" He asked under his breath.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that's fair." An unfamiliar voice replied coming up behind him. "I've always thought they resolved the conflict quickly." He felt a blow to his head and then everything went dark.

-DW-

Jack sat still holding the Time Lord in his arms. Even though the Doctor had long since fell back into a restless sleep, Jack wasn't willing to leave him. He couldn't help but wonder if this would have happened if the Doctor had just let him go with him. He this was exactly the sort of thing Jack wanted to protect him against but what happened was more horrific then anything he could have imagined. He made a gently shushing noise as the Doctor started to whimper in his arms. 

"Oh sweetheart, not again," Jack whispered softly as he rested his cheek on the Doctor's bald head. "Just sleep peacefully for once." Jack tried to gently rub his back as he cradled the Doctor but he wouldn't calm down. As the whimpering got louder, Jack saw no other choice but to wake him. He gently shook the Doctor awake. The Doctor squirmed on him before settling his head against Jack's chest again.

"Time to wake up. You've been asleep all afternoon and my legs are numb," He cooed at the Time Lord. The Doctor smiled sleepily at him. "Did you understand me?" Jack asked hopefully, the smile didn't fade. "I'll take that as a no. Come on get up." He gently pushed the Doctor to get him up and the Doctor clung tightly and whimpered.

"Okay we'll stay here." Jack pulled the blanket that was covering them up higher. He tried to ignore the tingling in his legs, as once more he rested his check on the Doctor's head.

-DW-

Time- ?

The Doctor woke up slowly. His head was pounding, resonating out from where he had been hit. He tried to stretch his body and found that he was shackled to a wall by his wrist and his ankles. Looking down he also saw that he had been stripped of his clothes. He lifted his head to see that his suit was neatly folded on a table in front of him. The contents of his pockets spread out across the table. A short older man was examining each of the items one at a time and making notes on a clipboard.

"It might be faster if you asked me what they are for," the Doctor told the man cheekily. It wasn't the first time that he had been captured and stripped of his clothes. In fact he had a few naked escape stories that he refused to share with the Captain because it wasn't uncommon for some of the more primitive cultures to take their prisoner's clothes. They did it to degrade the prisoner as well as make sure they had no tools hidden that they could escape with. 

"I don't need to know what they are for. I just need to catalog them and take them down to storage," The man answered. 

"Am I your prisoner?" He asked sounding as happy as possible.

"If you would like," the man responded not looking at him. "Though Doctor, I would call your our guest."

"Guest," He scoffed. "You chain all your guest to the wall."

"Only the dangerous ones." The man picked up the items and placed them in a disposable cardboard box. He then placed the Doctor's clothes on top not caring about boxing them. He use to care but over the years he didn't see a point. Few people ever got their belongings back and if they did they were in no state to complain about their condition. He took the clipboard over to the Doctor and showed him the list. "Read this. Then by signing it, you agree all the contents are yours and will be returned to you at the time of your departure. If you die before then, you need to list a next of kin who your contents will be sent to at the time of your death."

"So I am a prisoner." He shook the chains. "Can't really sign it though my hands are a little tied up."

"No, you are free to leave whenever we finish," The man responded. He wondered why he always had the difficult patients. The Doctor would break soon enough but in the mean time he wasn't going to get a signature yet again. The boss wouldn't be happy with him if he kept failing to complete his paperwork and he didn't want to end up a patient at the facility. The Doctor seemed like a smart man though, so he tried to reason with him. "Give me a name for your next of kin and I will fill it in for you. Then all you'll have to do is sign."

"I'm not telling you anything or signing that," the Doctor hissed at the man.

"Suit yourself," the man sighed. He went back to the table before taking the paper off the clipboard, folding it in half and sticking it in the box. "If you change your mind later, we can add to it then." He chuckled. "That is if you remember."

"What's that suppose to mean," The Doctor questioned slightly concerned.

"You'll understand soon enough." The man walked over to a cupboard. From it he removed a medicine vial as well as a syringe. He filled the syringe to the top. He flicked it a few times then squirted out a little of the liquid to make sure that there were no air bubbles. "Let's get started shall we."

"What is that?" The Doctor asked the confidence gone from his voice. He was deathly allergic to several medications and didn't want to die painfully from someone pretending to play doctor.

The man didn't answer as he stuck the needle deep into the Doctor's thigh and emptied the contents. He bit his lip to keep from crying out as the contents surged through his veins burning in the process. For a moment his body felt as though it were on fire. He tried to scream but no sound escaped his lips. As the contents reached his head, could feel his mind growing cloudy. Terrified, he fought falling asleep as the man became blurry. Losing the battle his eyes drifted closed.

He awoke with the shackles digging deep into his wrist as they supported his body weight. The air felt cool against his skin. For just a moment he was confused to where he was.

"Interesting," the man tutted to himself making a notation on the clipboard. "That drug normally knocks people out for at least a day, yet you have fought the effects in a matter of hours." He took of his glasses leaning forward. "I trust you had a pleasant rest. Don't get use to it." He stood up, laying his clipboard down on the chair. Humming to himself, he headed back to the cabinet and pulled out another vial of liquid with a new syringe. He filled the syringe came over and stood in front of the Doctor.

"Why?" The Doctor asked the man, he tried to lift his head to look at the man, but his head felt heavy.

"I am just doing my job," The man informed him. The Doctor rolled his eyes at that answer.

"There is always a choice," he informed the man as he eyed the needle wearily. 

"I know, my choice is either follow these notes or die," The man responded.

"Tell me what you want from me," the Doctor practically begged as the man moved the needle closer. The man chuckled.

"It doesn't matter." He put the needle into the crook of his arm this time and emptied the contents.

"Please just tell me what you want." He cried out as he watched the syringe empty. The room was quickly becoming distorted. The man in front of him faded so all he could see was a blur where he had been standing. He tried to keep a grip on his reality but he couldn't tell what was real anymore. He could clearly hear voices whispering to him and laughing but he couldn't see them. He blinked as colors flashed across his eyes. The man moved towards him faster then his mind could process and a streak of color followed him. He picked up the clipboard, the pen scratching on it loud enough to drown out the whispering for just a moment before it went quiet again. 

The man put his hand on the Doctor's stomach and the Doctor cried out from the pressure. It felt as though the man was trying to force his hand through his abdomen. He couldn't remember ever feeling something so painful before. Yet the sensation got worse as the man ran his hand down his stomach to the top of his groin. The movement made the Doctor shudder violently, crying out in pain.

"Interesting," The man remarked turning away to make a notation.

"What did you do to me?" He asked as the pain continued to ripple through his body even though he was not longer being touched. He fought the urge to get sick.

"It's a new drug. Most people would be screaming incoherently by now. But not you and I find that fascinating." The man said. "I wonder?" He came back over to the Doctor. Staring the Doctor in the eyes he placed his hand on the Doctor's groin again. This time running it lower until he was touching the Doctor's flaccid member. He took it in his hand, stroking him gently. The Doctor though screamed in pain.

"I take that as a no," The man chuckled in amusement as he released the Doctor.

-DW-

The Doctor was shuddering against him. Jack had tried to comfort him by rubbing his back. He wasn't sure why but that had just made the Doctor whimper in pain until he stopped. The only thing he could do was hold the man as he was lost somewhere in between dreams and flashbacks. Jack wasn't sure which one it was anymore. The Doctor's eyes were wide open but he didn't seem to comprehend anything that was going on. It was a relief when the door opened and Martha came into the room.

"How is he doing?" She asked softly. She looked at Jack and Jack looked like he was close to breaking.

"He has been like this for at least a half an hour now," Jack replied his voice shaking. "He seems like he is awake but he isn't responding. When I try to comfort him, he cries out in pain. I don't know how to help him Martha."

Martha came over and knelt down in front of the Doctor. She gently placed her hand on his cheek. He screamed as though she had slapped him, tears starting to flow from his eyes. "It's all right sweetheart," She cooed trying to keep her voice soft. "You're safe, no one is going to hurt you here." He didn't look at her as he clung tighter to Jack.She continued to talk softly to him until after awhile he blinked. Turning his head towards her. He looked confused to see her there. Reaching up he rubbed his face. 

"Hey are you coming back to us?" She wondered. She grabbed a tissue from the box by the bed. Moving slowly so as not to startle him, she helped him wipe his face.

"Let's get you up okay. Jack doesn't look comfortable anymore," Martha informed him. She took his hands in hers, gently pulling him so that he sat up. Jack hesitantly placed a hand on the Doctor's back and the two of them got the Doctor to his feet. The Doctor smiled widely at them. He then rubbed his stomach and pointed at his mouth.

"Hungry." Martha made a motion as though she was eating. The Doctor nodded happily.

"Hungry," He repeated eagerly.

"All right, but try to use the loo first while I make sure Jack is okay." She led him across the room. Opening a door she she led him into the small cupboard Jack called a bathroom. She closed the door almost completely behind the Doctor, more for their privacy then his. She then headed back to Jack. She sat down on the edge of the bed. Taking Jack's leg she helped to massage the feeling back into Jack's legs.

"You going to be okay?" She asked him.

"I don't know if I can do this Martha," Jack replied honestly. "He is so broken and I don't know how to help him."

"Hey, don't talk like that," Martha scolded stopping her work on his legs to give him a hug. "He just got back. We don't know what happened to him or how long he is going to be like this. It is going to take time to get him back on his feet but if we give up before we even start he doesn't stand a chance."

"But will he be okay, or will one day I have to take him to Flat Holm island?" Jack questioned her. Flat Holm had been founded to take care of people who were affected by the rift. Though the Doctor didn't quite fall into that category, Jack would be able to get him a room there if it came to it. After all he was the one who had built the place. He also funded it privately in order to keep it running. 

"It's too soon to know," Martha admitted. They stopped talking as the door to the bathroom opened. The Doctor was still smiling as he walked into the room again. He looked happily at Jack.

"Hungry." He pointed at his stomach.

"Come on let's get you some food," Martha told him. She pecked Jack on the cheek. She then stood up and started to lead the Doctor out of the room. He stopped in the doorway refusing to be lead out. He turned to look at Jack confused, when he realized Jack wasn't following them. He rambled for a moment and then stared at Jack, expectantly.

"I didn't understand a word you just said," Jack chuckled. He swung his legs off the bed. He started to stand up but then fell back onto the bed as they felt strange still. The Doctor came over. He kept the smile plastered to his face as he offered Jack his hand. Jack gently moved his hand away, shaking his head. The Doctor glared at him. He then moved his hand closer to Jack. Jack sighed and took it, letting the Doctor help him to his feet. Looking satisfied he continued to hold Jack's hand as he followed Martha out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Together the three of them walked up to the little kitchen of the Torchwood hub. Ianto was sitting in there reading a newspaper. It only took one glance at him the Doctor began to freak out. He pointed at Ianto yelling angrily. He then stormed towards him. Before Jack realized what was happening Ianto had been knocked over and the Doctor was sitting on his chest, swinging at him, his fist connecting with the top of Ianto's chest and face. Jack rushed over to stop him. He grabbed the Doctor off of Ianto, struggling to pull him back. He managed to get him away as the Doctor continued to scream at Ianto. He swung his legs backwards to kick Jack and without warning through his head back, connecting squarely with Jack's head. Jack felt dizzy for a moment but he didn't dare release the Doctor. 

"Calm down Doctor," Martha said softly. She stepped closer to him but he lashed out at her as well. His eyes though never left Ianto as he was determined to get back to him. Jack was positive that if he let the Doctor go, he would kill Ianto. 

"Ianto can you please leave the room," Jack asked as calmly as he could. He pulled the Doctor so that he was away from the door, giving Ianto a pathway out of the room. Ianto pulled himself slowly off of the ground. He seemed shocked about what happened, just standing there for a moment. "Ianto," Jack tried again. Ianto shook his head, coming back to his senses, then walked out of the room. 

The Doctor didn't calm down though. He continued to fight Jack screaming as loud as he could. For just one moment, Jack lost his hold and the Doctor turned on him. A fist connected with the side of Jack's face. The Doctor swung again, but Jack saw it coming this time and he managed to grab his arm. It was a short lived victory as the Doctor leaned forward, clamping his teeth down on Jack's arm. Jack cried out and unable to stop the natural reflex, he pulled away releasing the Doctor once more. He didn't want to hurt the Doctor but the Doctor wasn't giving him much of an option. Thinking quickly, when the Doctor swung at him again, and quickly turned him against the wall, pulling his arm behind his back. He held it there as the Doctor struggled to turn. It took a little more effort but Jack managed to grab the Doctor's other arm as he tried to turn into him.The screaming, continued but there were now tears in the Doctor's voice. 

"Martha open the door to the cells," Jack spat angrily. His arm was hurting and he was sure that he was going to have a bruise from where he had been hit in the face. 

"Jack?" Martha asked questioningly. She didn't think locking the Doctor away in the cells was going to solve anything. He needed their help and not to be treated like a criminal because something had cause him to panic. 

"It's just until he calms down," Jack reassured her. He walked the Doctor in front of him as the Doctor lifted his feet and fought Jack the entire way. As they approached the cells, the Doctor saw them and fell limp in Jack's arms. Jack picked him up with ease, placing him on the bed of the first cell that they came to. He quickly left the cell, closing and locking it behind him. It took a matter of seconds before the Doctor stood up. He glared at them as he started to storm around the cell angrily. He ran up to where Jack was looking through the bulletproof glass and slammed his fist on it, screaming at him. The oncoming storm was raging in his eyes. It hurt Jack a little when he realized that he was thankful for the glass between them. He never thought he would be afraid of the Doctor but at that moment he was sure the Doctor would kill him given the chance. 

"He's terrified," Martha whispered coming up behind Jack. Jack stared at the Doctor for a moment longer. He could see the fear behind the anger but the anger was still stronger. 

"I know," Jack replied with a sigh. "But he attacked Ianto for no reason."

"No reason that we know of," Martha agreed. "Oh honey, don't do that," She added as the Doctor repeatedly slammed his fist against the glass screaming.

"Come on," Jack said and started to walk away. They were just out of sight from the cells when the screaming stopped. It seemed as if there was no pause before the Doctor was crying miserably.

"Jack," he moaned. Jack stopped. He turned and went back towards the cell, looking in at the Doctor. He had tears streaming down his cheeks and his head rested against the glass.

"Are you going to calm down" Jack asked him moving closer. As soon as he got close. the Doctor began to storm the cell again a confused look on his face. He kicked the wall and slammed his shoulder against the glass. Jack sighed. He didn't feel as though he had a choice but to leave the Doctor in the cell. He turned away to leave again and the Doctor started to cry once more.

"Come on," Jack told Martha, who had waited for him at the bottom of the stairs. It took all of his will power to ignore the Doctor and head up the stairs. He immediately crossed the room to the computers, turning on the CCTV in the cells. The Doctor was raging around the cell screaming. He no longer looked afraid but very angry.

"Bastards," the Doctor screamed followed by other words that weren't translated.

"At least we know how he feels." Jack joked and Martha glared at him.

"This isn't funny." She stated.

"I know," He sighed as Ianto came up behind him with a coffee.

"You're bleeding," Ianto said concerned. Jack looked down at his arm and saw that the Doctor had drawn blood when he had bit him.

"I'll be fine," He told Ianto casually. He turned his attention away from his arm back to the Doctor. "Martha have you analyzed the Doctor's blood yet?"

"I've already looked for the obvious drugs and have the machines running to test for others," Martha responded. She hadn't found anything that she recognized yet that would explain the Doctor's amnesia and violent behavior.

"Get on it. I need to know what we are dealing with," Jack directed. He was terrified for his friend. The Doctor had always been a level headed man so to see him so out of control was heart breaking. 

"What about your arm?" Martha asked him, her doctor instincts kicking in. 

"It'll be fine, now go. I want a complete analyses and it in my hands a.s.a.p." Jack snipped slightly. He didn't want to think about his arm because thinking about it, reminded him of how sore it actually was. 

"Right away sir." Martha left the room. Ianto pulled out a first aid kit and then sat in the chair next to Jack. He took Jack's arm gently starting to clean the bite mark as Jack watched the Doctor raging in the cell. After about an hour the Doctor suddenly sat down in the corner of the cell. He pulled his legs up to his chest, rested his head on his knees and seemed to fall asleep. Jack just continued to watch him until Martha returned to the room. 

"Find anything new?" Jack asked not taking his eyes off of the screen.

"No," She responded. "What's he doing?"

"I don't know. He was raging and trying to kick the door down when suddenly he just stopped. He moved to the corner and sat down like it was nothing. He has been sitting like that for about fifteen minutes now after raging for almost a full hour."

"Does that tell you anything?" Ianto asked looking up from the paperwork he had spread out in front of him.

"No," Jack responded. "But it is information. Why don't you call it a night Ianto?" He didn't want anyone here when he let the Doctor out of the cells. If the Doctor attacked him, that was fine, but he wasn't going to let the Doctor hurt anyone else. 

"All right. I'll just clean up here and head home," Ianto told him understandingly.

"Tell the other's to call it a night as well. I don't want them here when I let him out," Jack informed Ianto.

"You think he is dangerous?" Ianto asked.

"I'm not taking any chances," Jack replied. He continued to sit and watch the CCTV as the hub cleared out. Mickey was the last to leave after Martha promised him she would call him often with updates and to let him know she was safe. She kissed him goodbye and then returned to Jack. In silence they went down to the cells. The Doctor looked up at them as they got close. 

"Jack," he exclaimed happily upon seeing them. He pulled himself to his feet, heading over to the glass. He looked at Jack expectantly and then rubbed his stomach. "Hungry." He announced. When Jack didn't move he looked at Martha.

"Are you going to be nice?" Martha asked him. As she gestured to him and then to them. He looked at her confused for a moment and then smiled again.

"I am going to open it, but first sign he is raging again, he is going right back in this cage." Jack told Martha calmly. He unlocked and opened the door.

"Jack!" The Time Lord exclaimed, ecstatic to be out of the cage. He lifted his arms, not noticing Jack tensed. Jack relaxed a little when all the Doctor did was give him a hug. "Hungry."

They led him up the stairs and back to the kitchen. Once in the kitchen the Doctor sat down at the table. He looked expectantly towards Jack for the food that he wanted. Jack opened a banana and handed to the Doctor. He devoured it quickly.

"All right, let's get some real food in you." Martha said. Going to the fridge she pulled out the leftovers she had brought from home that was suppose to be her lunch. She heated them up and then sat it in front of the Doctor. He looked at it, sniffed it, then frowned. He shook his head and pushed it away. Martha pushed it back. He frowned at her, not wanting the food. Instead he gestured to the bananas.

"You can't live off of bananas, now eat some real food." He stared at Martha as he put his hand on the container. Without warning he swept his hand to the side, pushing it off the table. He continued to stare at her with a look like he was daring her to react to it. She just shook her head at him.

"How about we get a pizza?" Jack asked. "Will you go pick it up, since he doesn't like me to leave?"

"Yeah, okay." Martha replied. She finally broke eye contact with the Doctor before turning and leaving the room. He looked at Jack and then down at the food on the ground with a frown on his face. Jack stood in the doorway staring at him and couldn't help thinking how much the Doctor reminded him of a child at the moment. He still was no closer in figuring out how to help him.


	6. Chapter 6

He woke up with Martha staring at him, his face was wet. Confused he reached up and wiped it. He was sitting on Jack and he didn't remember how he got there, but he was comfortable with Jack's arms wrapped tightly around him. Martha was speaking again and he realized that Jack looked unhappy. He allowed Martha to pull him to his feet. He rubbed his stomach as he realized how empty it felt.

"Hungry," she asked him pointing to her mouth. He nodded happily. 

"Hungry," he agreed. He let her lead him across the room. As she opened the door, he saw that it was a small bathroom. As soon as she closed the door behind him, he began to scratch. His bandages itched, terribly and he wanted to take them off, but he was afraid she would make him sleep again. He didn't want to sleep, when he slept the man filled his dreams.

He finished scratching, even though his arm still felt itchy. He couldn't get to the skin though through the bandage, which frustrated him. He used the toliet before going to see Martha and Jack. He smiled when he saw Jack was still there waiting for him.

"Hungry," He announced and Martha stood. She started to lead him from the room and from the safety of Jack. He stopped confused.

"Aren't you coming to get some food. I know we have more of those strange looking yellow things and I bet you can get Martha to give me one. Then you can take me home. I like it here but I really just want to go home." Jack shook his head and tried to stand up before falling. Concerned he went over and tried to help Jack up. Jack shook his head no, causing him to grow irritated. He wasn't going to be able to go home if Jack didn't stand up. He thrust his hand at Jack and finally Jack took it. He followed Martha into the kitchen. That is when he saw the man in the suit and everything went black.

-DW-

Time-?

The man had started at his feet. He was working his way up his body, systematically checking his responses to the feeling of hot and cold objects upon his skin. With the drugs still surging through his system, every touch was agony. He felt as though he were being constantly burned with both fire and dry ice. He throat felt raw as he couldn't stop himself from screaming in pain. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks as he was begging the man to stop. The man reached his neck, then frowned at him.

"Not the responses I was expecting, next time I will have to give you a larger dose." He made a notation on his clipboard.He took short gasping breath as his mind focused on the words next time. He could take a lot but he didn't think he could handle it again. 

"Do you enjoy torturing me?" He asked the man.

"Oh my dear Doctor, I'm not torturing you, that will come later. I am just making sure we have the drugs correctly measured so that we get the responses we want without killing you to quickly," the man taunted him. 

"So you do plan on killing me," The Doctor concluded. It didn't matter what they did to his body. He had secrets he would take to his grave regardless. 

"Accidents do happen." The man shrugged. "But first we need to gather information that only you can provide."

"I'm not telling you anything," The Doctor spat defiantly. 

"At the moment you're not, but by the time we finish with you, you will tell us everything we want to know." The man looked at his watch. "My shift is over for the day. You have about two hours until the next shift starts. I suggest you use that time to rest." He stood up and left the room, turning off the lights on the way out.

When the lights came back on he blinked several times in surprise. He looked up and saw a man in a suit.

-DW-

He awoke to footsteps approaching. Lifting his head he saw that he was in a cage. The man in the suit must have put him in here. He curled tighter into himself as he waited. When he saw Jack approaching, he breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Jack!" he called out happy that Jack had found him quickly before the man in the suit was able to hurt him again. He went and stood by the glass door. "Hungry" He announced. When Jack didn't move he looked at Martha. Martha gestured at him. She then to pointed to herself and Jack. He didn't understand her words, or Jack's when he spoke. Jack opened the door. 

"Jack, Hungry," he exclaimed happily as he gave Jack a hug in relief. They took him upstairs to the kitchen. He sat down at the table relieved that the man in the suit was gone. Jack gave him the strange yellow fruit and he ate it quickly. He was still hungry but when Martha sat a tub of opened food in front of him, he froze. He sniffed the food carefully. Even though it smelled okay, he couldn't trust it. When she wouldn't let him push it away, he pushed it to the floor instead. He waited for Martha to yell at him but instead she talked to Jack and left the room.

He waited for Jack to leave as well. Jack though continued to stand there he looked at the food on the ground, wondering if he could trust them.

-DW-

Time-?

"Come to torture me too?" He asked the man as he approached him.

"Torture isn't really my style." The man responded casually. He walked up to the Doctor placing his hands on the Doctor's shoulders. He then leaned forward and kissed him roughly. Pulling back he looked the Doctor in the eyes. "But that doesn't mean you won't scream for me." Leaving the Doctor he moved to the desk. The Doctor expected to be injected with drugs again yet for the first hour though the man ignored him. He sat at the desk reading the paperwork that was left behind. 

"All right," he said finally. He stood up, cracked his knuckles and then punched the Doctor square in the chest. Over the course of the night he beat the Doctor with both his fist as well as various objects until the Doctor was gasping for breath. Every breath was shallow and hurt both his chest to breathe as well as his throat. Though tears streamed down his face, he refused to scream for the man. As morning approached the man finally stopped hitting him. He sat down the small paddle he had in his hand as he stared at the Doctor as though he were admiring a work of art.

"Not bad, not bad." He commented. "You're starting to bruise and in a few nights I think we can really get some color into those." He walked over and sat at the desk as he made notations. The man put the notebook away before he looked at his watch. The Doctor really didn't like when he smiled. "I think we have time for a bit more fun," he commented. He walked over to the cupboard, pulling out a syringe. Walking over to the Doctor, he ran his hand gently down the Doctor's cheek as he injected him in the thigh.

"There we go, let's just give that a few minutes to kick in," the Man smiled at him, as he started to undress. He felt his body growing numb and weak. He fought to keep control as his legs gave out putting his full weight on his wrist. The Man folded his clothes carefully, letting the Doctor hang there. He placed them in a neat pile on the chair before unchaining the Doctor's feet first followed by his wrist. He picked the Doctor up with ease, carrying him over to the desk as the Doctor tried to fight him. The man bent the Doctor over the desk, holding him down with little effort. There was no preparation as the man lined himself up and started to push his length inside of him. The Doctor started to cry out in pain but instead bit his lip as he refused to give the man the satisfaction of screaming for him. The man quickly set a rough pace, giving him no time to adjust or breathe. As the man took him roughly, the first man came into the room. The Doctor felt his hope of the man stopping what was happening fade as he didn't seem phased by the scene in front of him. He took off his coat and hung it up. Then sat a briefcase on the other side of the desk.

"I'm going to get some coffee, before my shift starts, do you want anything, Charles?" He asked.

"Yes please, I'll take a coffee as well," Charles panted, not stopping. 

"Make sure you chain him back up when you are finished. I have a lot to go over today and would like to get started right away." The man informed Charles. 

"Not a problem, anything I can do to assist." Charles asked not breaking his stride.

"Will you give him a dosage of serum 2.8b. In fact make that a double dosage."

"Anything else" Charles grunted.

"No, no, I think that will be it for now." The first man left the room leaving the Doctor at Charles mercy. The next two weeks continued on this pattern. His days were spent in agony but his nights were spent praying for days. That was until she came.


	7. Chapter 7

The Doctor stopped eating altogether. Any food placed in front of him was immediately pushed onto the floor. Jack tried to get him to pick up the food. He had thought he was successful but as the Doctor stared him in the eye, the food was flung at the wall across the way. It slammed into the wall and the Doctor continued to stare at him daring him to make him pick it up again. Jack ignored his fit as he grabbed a towel and cleaned up the food. Frustrated with the Doctor, he gave up on getting him to eat for a while. Taking his hand Jack led the Doctor to one of the couches and sat down. The Doctor yawned. He seemed happy to be out of the kitchen as he curled up on the couch next to Jack leaning against him. Jack was relived that he seemed to have settled down, but as the night wore on, rather than going to sleep, he became more and more frantic.

He pushed Jack roughly away from him, rising to his feet. He slowly paced back and forth across the room at first. As he paced though, he slowly kept getting faster. Jack noticed that he kept looking towards the door. At first Jack was worried he was going to try to make a run for it, but as he continued to pace Jack began to think that instead he was waiting for someone to come in. Standing up Jack went to him.

"Come sit down Doctor," He told him softly taking his arm. The Doctor reacted immediately. He turned into Jack, using his full weight and Jack's surprise to push him to the ground. Jack barely realized what happened before he was kicked Jack hard in the stomach. Screaming the Doctor ripped his bandages off and when Martha tried to stop him, he grabbed Martha's wrist tightly and screamed at her. Jumping to his feet Jack pried his fingers loose. He clawed Jack's hands, breaking the skin and leaving dark red scratches on them.

"Knock this off now," Jack hissed as he pulled the Doctor's hands behind his back restraining him. That only made it worse as the Doctor broke down into tears and fought even harder against them. Jack took him back down to the cells. As much as it broke his heart the Doctor was out of control and a danger to not only himself but to anyone else he came in contact with. The Doctor didn't settle down as he storm back and forth across the cell. 

"I don't understand what changed," Martha stated as she sat down against the wall across from the cell. Jack sat next to her. They watched the Doctor pace. Occassionally he would slam against the wall or kick it. He once or twice tried the door and Martha grew more concerned when he headbutted it. Otherwise he paced. He had to keep moving for some reason they didn't know. 

By the time morning rolled around the Doctor had still not calmed down. Jack remained sitting on the ground outside of the cell with Martha leaning against him exhausted. It was when Ianto came down the stairs with two cups of coffee, that the Doctor reacted to them again. He ran to the glass and pointed angrily at Ianto and then at them before slamming his fist repeatedly into the glass. He kicked it a few times trying to find a way to break it and get to Ianto. He continued to scream at Ianto until Ianto left the room and then he returned to storming around the cell.

"Doctor, please don't do that." Martha begged as the Doctor slammed his hand hard against the wall and cried out in pain. Martha sighed as she watched. "We can't sedate him, he won't eat and he can't understand enough to listen, even if he wanted to. What are we going to do?"

"Flat Holm," Jack suggested as he took a drink of his coffee. 

"No," She replied. "I can't do that to him yet. Based on my observations I would guess he has PTSD, amnesia and is going through some sort of withdrawal but I have yet to identify the drugs in his system. Flat Holm is for people without hope of being helped. I still have faith we can help him."

"I hope you are right," Jack took another sip of his coffee. As he did so, he realized that it had gone quiet for the first time in hours. Looking up, he saw the Doctor was staring at him. The Doctor's tongue poked out of his mouth licking his dry lips. He had to have been thirsty after moving non stop for the last few hours. Jack lifted the cup more so that he could see it better. 

"If you calm down you can have some," He called out.The Doctor growled at him. Turning he started to stomp around again. Within the hour two things changed. First Martha lost her own battle to stay awake and fell asleep against Jack. Then the Doctor began to calm down. He sat down against the far wall in the cell and stared at Jack. When he first sat down he looked angry, but as the morning went on though he laid down on his side and closed his eyes. Jack watched as he drifted off to sleep. It had to be uncomfortable for him. Jack didn't trust that he had really calmed down though. He was just convinced that exhaustion had finally caught up to him and like Martha he needed to rest. Asleep though, he looked like the man that Jack had kept company all those long nights. After a while he opened them and looked at Jack. He no longer looked angry but confused. Jack gently shook Martha.

"Hey, I know it's not fair to wake you, but I think he is finally coming around," Jack whispered. Martha opened her eyes and rubbed her face and then looked at the Doctor.

"Hey, how are you feeling," She asked softly. He stood up and came hesitantly over to the cell door, and waited for them to open it. When neither of them moved, his face fell.

"Jack," he whimpered and put his hand on the door. His brown eyes were large and sad. Jack wondered how it was possible for him to look like Jack was hurting him when all Jack had done was try to keep him safe. 

"You think it is safe to let him out?" Jack asked Martha.

"We can't keep him in there, he would never trust us again," she replied. Jack stood up stretched and then unlocked the door and opened it. The Doctor hesitantly stepped out. He stared wearily at Jack for a moment. He pointed back in the cell and shook his head, showing his dislike for the cell. 

"I know you don't like it in there," Jack responded. "But you hurt me and Martha." He showed the bandages on his hands. He healed fast enough that they were no longer necessary, but he had forgotten to take them off. The Doctor looked down at his own wrist and seem surprised the bandages were gone. "Yeah you took them off," Jack stated.

"We will put them back on and then I think we should try breakfast again," Martha commented standing up. Jack took the Doctor's hand. Together they went to the autopsy room. The Doctor held Jack's hand tighter and shook his hand back and forth quickly. His breathing sped up as fear filled his eyes. 

"It's okay," Martha said grabbing the bandages. "I'm not going to make you sleep, I am just going to wrap your wrist again." She walked slowly towards him making sure to show him her hands were empty besides the bandages She took his hand in hers and started to gently wrap his wrist. When he realized it was alright, she let go of his hand to wrap it tighter. He watched her as she finished, then lifted his hand so she could wrap his other one. It was progress. Not enough progress in Jack's opinion, but at least it was there. 

Afterwards they went to the kitchen. The Doctor sat down in the chair he had sat in the night before. He accepted and devoured several bananas quickly. Martha went to the cupboard to see if there was anything else for him to eat as she didn't want him living off of bananas. She managed to find a a can of soup and wondered if he would eat it. She didn't ask him as she opened the can and then emptied it in a bowl before placing it in the microwave to warm it up. Jack noticed the Doctor was watching her every move closely. His face fell as she stood in the way of the bowl as she was putting in the microwave.

"Martha, move to the left a little," Jack commented.

"Why?" Martha replied confused. 

"Just do it." She moved to the left and the Doctor watched the microwave intently. Once it beeped, he watched Martha take out the soup and stir it. She brought it over to the Doctor setting it down in front of him. He took the spoon out of the bowl, sniffing it suspeciously. Jack saw his nose scrunch at the smell. Rather then taking a bite, like Jack hoped, he turned and offered the spoonful to Jack. Jack shook his head. The Doctor frowned put the spoon in the bowl, and pushed it away.

"Do you think she drugged it?" Jack asked the Doctor. "Did they drug your food too?" He picked up the spoon out of the bowl, taking a bite. The Doctor smiled. He still didn't eat right away as watched Jack closely for a moment. Jack pushed the bowl back to the Doctor as he waited for him to realize the food was safe. It took a few minutes, but finally the Doctor began to eat it greedily.

"I guess it is safe," Jack commented dryly. "Quick deaths would be too kind for the bastards that did this. I am thinking a nice slow death with a knife and lots of pain." Martha just nodded and yawned,too tired to argue him. The Doctor finished the food and then picked up the bowl to lick it clean.

"Don't be gross," She scolded the Doctor, laughing as she took the bowl from him. He seemed happier now that he had eaten. He was inching towards the bananas again when Ianto entered the room. The Doctor's face fell and he immediately began to whimper. 

"He only does this to you Ianto," Jack told him curiously, "I wonder why that is?"

"I didn't do this, if that is what you are suggesting," Ianto immediately defended himself.

"No, I don't think for an instant you could, but why you. Go out for a moment and send Mickey in." Ianto left and Mickey came in the room a minute later. The Doctor didn't seem to care Mickey was there as he picked up his prize. He struggled with the peel trying to open it on his own. 

"Now, you step out and send in Ianto." Jack said. Mickey stepped out and Ianto came back in. The Doctor immediately stopped trying to open the banana and began to whimper again. "So he didn't care about Mickey but you scare him, why?"

"Skin color," Ianto asked.

"No, because he is fine around me." Jack thought for a moment. "Lose the suit," He said finally.

"Sir?"

"Just humor me. I know you keep a pair of jeans here, now lose the suit," Jack ordered. Ianto left the room for a third time and when he came back he was in jeans and a t-shirt. The Doctor eyed Ianto suspiciously but didn't stop trying to pry open the banana. Jack leaned over opening it for him. The Doctor began to eat, but he moved closer to Jack as he took his eyes off Ianto.

"Until further notice, no suits," Jack told Ianto, feeling slightly disappointed.


	8. Chapter 8

The Doctor's days quickly became a routine. In some ways, Jack found it amusing and at the same time it concerned and angered him even more. The Time Lord who was always on the run and never staying in one place now went into tears at best and into the cell at worse, if something changed from day to day.

The basement cell now had a single mattress in it and had become the Doctor's room at night. During the day, the Doctor had times where he needed to go into the cell in order to calm down. He didn't like cell and he would fight Jack, as Jack tried to put him in it. Jack was thankful he healed quickly as scratches, bruises, and bite marks would have littered his arm otherwise. For the days, he mainly remained down there for a short time as Jack didn't want him to see it as a punishment. At night, they had no other choice, but to make sure that he remained in the cell the entire time.

Every day was about the same. Around 8 pm, the Doctor would calm down and relax against Jack on the couch. Together they would watch a movie or something else on the telly that would keep the Doctor's attention. Jack still wasn't sure how much the Doctor was understanding so it was normally a kid's movie or program that he would turn on. The Doctor never laughed at the jokes, but he would watch the movement with interest as he rested. By 10 pm, he would start to grow restless, he would squirm against Jack, whimpering as he continuously opened and closed his hands. It was close to 11 pm that his restlessness would turn into frantic pacing. He would get out of Jack's arms and storm from one end of the room to the other as he looked around frantically. Jack could tell he was waiting for someone, yet the Doctor couldn't speak enough English to tell them who it was. So, around 11 pm Jack would take the Doctor by the hand and led him down to the cells. Once locked safely in the cell the Doctor would become more frantic and by midnight he became a danger not only to himself but to anyone who tried to help him. 

He screamed, hit, and kicked. His clothes would be ripped. Any bandages he had would be torn off in fits of rage. He then clawed or scratched himself until he bled. He would flip the mattress, moving it around the cell as it got in his way. By about seven in the morning he would start to calm down, his screaming stopped and his movements became more sluggish. He would fix the mattress back to a position he could lay on it and by eight he would be sound asleep for a few hours. Once awake, he was back to his calm happy self until something set him off. They would let him out of the cell, Martha changed his bandages and cleaned up any new cuts. Jack helped him to shower or just make sure he got in the shower. After he would get the Doctor dressed before they would all sit down to eat.

Jack wondered one night if it was the cell that was setting the Doctor off each night. He made the mistake of trying to keep the Doctor by his side in the lounge. He soon realized his mistake as the Doctor became just as violent around midnight as he would have in the cell. Only this time he had someone to take his anger out on. Jack was bruised and bleeding before he managed to force the Doctor down into the cell. He was thankful that no one else had been there for the Doctor to hurt. He never made the mistake again of leaving the Doctor out of the cell at night. Even if it broke his heart to know what the people had reduced the Doctor too. The once great Time Lord was now nothing more than a dangerous child. 

Jack tried not to think that as he spent time with his friend and the man he once thought he could love. He now didn't dare flirt with or make any gestures towards the Doctor. His own relationship with Ianto had also been ruined as he spent all his time caring for the Time Lord. Said Time Lord was currently sitting in Jack's office, giggling at a children's program, while Jack was working. When coherent he still refused to let Jack out of his sight for more than a few seconds, so during the day Jack had taken to doing office work.

"Hey, be nice," Jack scolded gently as the Doctor threw a paper ball that hit Jack in the head. Jack looked up at him and The Doctor frowned as he pointed at the telly. "Well, you're the one who insist on watching children's programs, that are only 15 minutes long. You can wait a few minutes for the next one to start."

"Jack can't you turn on something else," Martha asked as she came into Jack's office and saw what the Doctor was watching. The Doctor was over nine hundred years old and she was sure there was something more educational that he could watch.

"I've tried other programs, he likes these and if it makes him happy." Jack shrugged.

"You still love him, don't you?" Martha wondered, sitting in the chair across from Jack.

"I do," Jack told her. He wasn't going to try to hide it, even if he didn't act on the feelings he still loved the Time Lord. Martha nodded. 

"What if he doesn't get better?" She questioned

"Then I will continue to take care of him," Jack responded without hesitation.

"You shouldn't have to put your life on hold," Martha sighed. 

"Why does it matter Martha," Jack asked his voice rising in volume. "Even if he lives to be a million, I will still outlive him. I could put my life on hold for the rest of his and in the end I will still end up alone." He was shouting now, "I told the Doctor one time, that I could be out there at the end of the universe and I know I was somewhere, what happens then, Martha. When everyone else in the universe is gone and I am alone."

"Jack," Martha said her voice barely above a whisper. He looked up at her to see her comforting the Doctor as tears flowed freely down his face. He didn't like Jack shouting and had ran to Martha for comfort.

"Oh, shit." Jack came around the desk. Kneeling down he put his hand on the Doctor's shoulder. The Doctor whined as he flinched away from Jack's touch. "I'm sorry sweetheart."

"Take a walk Jack," Martha told him calmly.

"He doesn't like me to leave," Jack argued.

"I know, but right now he is afraid. Take a walk, calm down and by the time you get back I am sure he will be happy to see you," Martha informed him.

"What about if he goes hysterical while I am gone?" Jack questioned. He really didn't want to leave the Doctor even if he knew Martha was right.

"Then I will have Ianto and Mickey help me get him to his room," Martha reassured Jack. Jack didn't miss that she had called the Doctor's cell his room. It just broke his heart that much more. Standing up again, he nodded. 

"All right," He agreed. Grabbing his coat, he headed out of the hub and into the fresh, cool air of Cardiff. He wandered around not paying attention to where he was going until he found himself standing back in front of the hub. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly as he walked back inside.

"Martha," he called out as he entered the main room.

"She's in your room with the Doctor," Ianto answered handing him a cup of coffee.

"Thanks," He replied taking the cup and heading to his room. Martha was sitting on the bed. The Doctor was tucked into the blankets beside her facing the wall. The gentle rise and fall of his chest indicated that he was sound asleep with his head in her lap. Martha didn't seem to mind though as she gently stroked his hair with just the tips of her fingers.

"I am surprised to see him asleep," Jack whispered sitting down in the armchair.

"He needs more sleep than he lets on," She said softly back. "I once got him to admit to me that he needs just as much sleep as a human, he just has gotten use to being sleep deprived."

"Because of the nightmares?" Jack asked.

"Yes," She continued to stroke his head. After a minute, she looked up at Jack. "You won't end up alone after the universe ends."

"What?" Jack wondered in surprise. 

"You can't ever tell him I told you." She looked down at the Doctor for just a moment before looking back up at Jack. "But one day you will become so impossible that the universe won't be able to hold you anymore and you will be allowed to die. You won't end up alone in the darkness forever."

"If you want to go upstairs, I will lay down with him." Jack responded, not sure what else to say to her. Martha gently lifted the Doctor's head off of her lap laying it on the pillow. He stirred as she got up and Jack laid down next to him. He opened his eyes a crack looking at Jack. A smile crossed his face, Gently he reached out to caress Jack's cheek before laying his head down on Jack's chest. He wrapped his arm around him holding him close as one again he closed his eyes. Jack kissed him on the top of the head. 

"I'll never abandon you," He promised as he held the Doctor tight. Needing to rest himself, he closed his eyes.

Time-?

He was beginning to forget things. He didn't realize it at first because he wasn't sure that he had ever known. But as he hung in the darkness, during the two hours a day he was left alone his thoughts had once again returned to Gallifrey. He could clearly picture the planet with its red grass and burnt orange sky and he could remember every detail of it.

He could picture Rose. He could clearly see her in his mind. He had always loved how she was pink and yellow but concentrating he found that he could no longer remember the sound of her laughter or her voice. She was fading from him even though he had fallen asleep holding her coat against him long after she had left. He wished that he had actually found the courage to say those three little words to her before she was gone from his life. He had tried not to linger on her memory yet he had thought of her every day since.

He lifted his head as the light in the room came back on earlier than normal. Standing in front of him was a young blonde girl. Just for a moment he thought it was Rose. He blinked a few times as he mouthed her name, hopeful that she was there. As he did Rose faded from his vision. Shaking his head he wondered how he could have ever mistaken her for his beloved. She was shorter and slightly chubby wearing a black dress top with a white undershirt and a short black skirt. Her hair was a natural dirty blonde that she kept pulled back in a loose ponytail. Though her eyes were brown like Rose's, her face was longer and covered in freckles.

"Doctor," She said professionally, as though they were meeting in an office and he wasn't chained naked to a wall. "We have a problem with your paperwork. I have the complete list of the items you came in with but I don't have a next of kin or a signature."

"I didn't give you one," He replied his voice low and hoarse.

"Well you could provide that now, and then I can get this filed away properly." She pulled out a pen from her pocket. Holding it out she tried to hand the pen to him.

"No," He told her simply. Bored with her, he hung his head and looked at the floor.

"No?" She sounded confused.

"That's right, no," He responded.She leaned her head over so that she could look at his face.

"Saying no won't change anything. They will continue to test drugs on you. I suggest you do the smart thing and tell me the name of your next of kin before it is too late," She suggested. The Doctor glared at her.

"And if I tell you a name, will they only test drugs on them too? Do you even know what really goes on here and why they want the information so badly? When the next man comes in do you want to watch as he beats then rapes me or do you want to continue to ignore the bruises. I wonder how you keep your delusion that all they do is test drugs here." He looked at her questioningly. He was slightly pleased to see that she had turned pale. She gagged as if she were going to be sick, but he had no sympathy for her. "You can leave now and you can tell your bosses that I will die before I tell you anything."

She hugged the papers to her chest and turned off the light as she ran out of the room. He watched her go, waiting as she closed the door taking the rest of the light with her. With nothing else to do, his thoughts returned to Rose.


	9. Chapter 9

Martha had mixed emotions as she looked at the test results of the Doctor's most recent blood work. She was happy to see that the drugs had cleared from his system. That same information upset her as she realized that they were no longer a possible contributing factor to his current mental state. Not only had he made no improvements since his arrival, he had in fact continued to deteriorate on some aspects. She could see the evidence of that deterioration in his speech and comprehension. When he first arrived at the hub, Martha had listened to him speaking Gallifreyan as he tried to explain something to them. She still didn't know what but at least he had been trying to communicate. Now he said nothing but the few words of English he knew.

Martha looked closer at the results of his blood. Trying to find anything that explained the continued deterioration. She had been able to identify that he had four separate drugs in his system when he arrived, but all four were ones that did not show up in the Torchwood, U.N.I.T, or any other database she was able to hack into. Rubbing the bridge between her nose, she took a deep breath. Focusing on this wasn't going to get her answers. The only way they were going to figure out what drugs had been given to the Doctor was to figure out where he had been kept. Opening the filing cabinet near her desk, she retrieved the Doctor's file and added the paperwork to it. She returned the file to the cabinet before leaning back in her chair. Sighing she stared at the wall as she tried to figure out how to tell Jack that the Doctor they both once knew and loved was gone forever. 

Time-?

The Doctor thought he had seen the last of the young lady, so he was surprised when she returned the next night. He eyed her suspiciously as she entered the office, closing the door tightly behind her. She didn't say anything as she crossed the small room and sat down at the desk. He tried not to laugh as he noticed that once again she had the paperwork with her. The Doctor couldn't help but wonder if she actually thought he would sign it if she kept coming back. It didn't matter what they did to him, he was never going to sign it or tell her any names to let them be tortured as well. He was stronger than that and he just had to stay focused. 

"The answer is still no," he told her before she even opened her mouth. She looked up at him and he saw that she had tears in her eyes. If he was supposed to pity her he didn't know as anger filled him. He felt as though she had no right to be crying when she was allowed to walk freely as he was chained naked to a wall. 

"I am sorry they hurt you," She whispered. She sounded sincere, but the Doctor didn't believe for an instant that she was actually sorry. 

"Then let me go," He snipped at her. She shook her head no.

"They would kill me," She told him. 

"You humans," he scoffed unable to keep the disgust from his voice. "Always talking about how you want to do better and help others, but when it comes down to it many of you are just cowards."

"I am not a coward," she replied her voice sounding stronger than before. 

"You are a coward. In fact not only are you a coward, you are too much of a coward to admit you're a coward." He shook his head. "Why did you come here if you don't want me to sign your bloody paperwork?"

"To apologize," She answered him, her voice soft. 

"Well, you've done it. Does it make you feel better or do I have to accept your apology first?" He asked her cruelly.

"No," She replied shocked.

"Good. Was that all you wanted?" He wondered. He tried his best to look bored with her. "Please continue, I only have two hours of peace and quiet a day, feel free to interrupt it." She stood up heading to the door. As she placed her hand on the doorknob to leave, he spoke up once more. 

"Next time you come," he told her pleasantly, "Do me a favor and actually bring something useful like I don't know, a key." He watched feeling slightly pleased with himself as she left.

-DW-

Finally, gaining the courage, Martha left the safety of her office and headed to Jacks. As she approached, she could hear the telly in the room singing a silly song. Martha sighed as knocked on the door. Receiving no reply she knocked again before opening the door and finding the room empty. Going inside, she turned off the telly. She hoped silently that the Doctor wasn't in his cell as she left the room. She first headed to the kitchen and then Jack's room before she headed down to the cells. All her hopes were dashed as she saw Jack standing outside the first cell with an ice pack on his head. He was staring at the cell as inside the Doctor stood facing the glass. He was pointing at Jack, yelling incoherently.

"What happened?" Martha asked as she approached them. Reaching up, she moved the ice pack to see a lump on Jack's head. 

"This one decided it would be a good idea to try to get on the rift manipulator's computer. When I tried to stop him, he shoved me away and into the side of the Tardis," Jack stated. "He was upset he had hurt me until Mickey called him an idiot. I don't whether or not he actually understood Mickey, but he went ballistic. He then tried to break the computer with Mickey's head. I tried to grab him and he slammed my head into the desk instead."

"Well you're going to have a nice bruise, but he didn't break the skin," Martha stated and placed the ice pack back. Jack healed fast so all evidence of the bruise would be gone in a few hours. Though the memory would remain for longer. She turned to look at the Doctor. "He's gotten worse," She said to Jack while observing the Doctor's behavior.

"His fits have gotten a lot better. He is also speaking English more. He eats and he is sleeping at least four to five hours a day now. How has he gotten worse?" Jack asked her slightly confused. Martha looked at Jack, wondering if he really didn't see it or he was on purposely choosing to ignore the facts. 

"Let's go talk in your office."Jack looked at the Doctor again. The Doctor wasn't even beginning to try to calm down as he stared at them. There was no point in remaining in front of his cell and upsetting him more. Jack turned back to Martha.

"Alright," He agreed. The two of them left the cells together. As they crossed the rift manipulator room he called out for Ianto to bring them coffee before going into his office. He sat down at his desk and Martha sat at the opposite side quietly waiting for Ianto. Ianto came in with two cups. He handed them each one before stepping back.

"Anything else sir," Ianto asked Jack.

"Keep an eye on the cells and let me know when he calms down," Jack responded taking a sip of the coffee. Ianto left the room closing the door behind him. Jack turned and looked at Martha. "Okay, we are alone now tell me how he has gotten worse."

"When he first arrived here he may have been scared but he was talking to us regularly in Gallifreyan and at least making an attempt to interact and understand English. Now it has been days since I have heard him say anything in Gallifreyan and his English is one or two words strung together. He makes no attempt at complete sentences nor does he try to learn any new words. He is almost childlike in his actions except for when he is in the cells at night. I want your permission to work with him so I can get an idea what level his mind is actually at now and what we can do to help him," Martha explained to Jack. Jack rubbed the back of his neck.

"What about the drugs, could they still be causing this?" Jack asked hopefully trying to find a reason. It could be any reason as long as it meant that the Doctor he loved was going to be able to come back to him.

"I ran his new test results today. His blood is clear of any drugs." She reached across the desk and took Jack's hand. "I'm sorry." She told him softly.

"You're trying to tell me he won't ever get better?" Jack pulled his hand away. Bracing himself for the bad news.

"I don't think he can." She told Jack honestly. "Whatever they did and whatever drugs they used, destroyed his mind. It is almost as if they chemically wiped it, which, in fact, may be exactly what they did."

"So what now?" Jack wondered. 

"As I stated, I want to assess where he is at now, and see if there is anything we can do for him," Martha answered Jack. 

"What if he regenerates?" Jack asked hopefully.

"I know regeneration restores his body. There is a chance it could heal his mind but I don't think it would do anything to restore his memories." Martha was going to research it, but she didn't feel that regeneration was the proper treatment. 

"So he is lost to us," Jack looked away from Martha as tears formed in his eyes. He had spent hours with the Doctor, trying to get him back. He didn't want to believe he was gone forever despite what Martha was telling him. "I want to be alone."

"Of course." She stood up and headed out of Jack's office. "I am truly sorry Jack." She said as she closed the door behind her.


	10. Chapter 10

Time-?

Gallifrey burned in front of him and he cried as he thought of all those he had lost. The Time War had taken everything from him including his very name. It was on the night that he found out the Time Lord's plan to destroy the universe and ascend that he declared No More for the first time. It was at that moment that he figured out that if he wanted this war to end, he had to be the one to end it. After all, he had nothing else to lose at that point. His mother had joined the council with his father by then. Even if he would have never thought it possible, she was part of the vote to end the war. His youngest son had died in the fall of Arcadia and his middle son had been lost to the Nightmare child. His older son was missing and persumed dead along with his best friend Koschei. His beautiful Susan was in hiding along with his great grandchildren somewhere in the forest of Gallifrey. He couldn't count how many others he lost as the Daleks had overpowered them. His people had underestimated how much of a threat the Daleks could be and seemed surprised as they fell. If only they had listened to him or maybe if he had just joined sooner the war would have ended differently. Now though, he had only one choice. He had to stop his people from destroying the rest of the universe.

He cried out as he was slapped hard across the face. He opened his eyes as he tried to focus on where he was. He was positive that he had been pioliting the TARDIS on the way to the Citadel to steal the Moment. Yet, he could clearly feel the chains around his wrist and he could taste blood in his mouth. Seeing no other choice, he spit the offense liquid out onto the floor.

"Are you back with me now Doctor," Charles hissed. The Doctor glared at the man. 

"Please sir you don't understand. You have to unchain me. I have to stop them." He shook the chains frantically. "I have to end this now."

"You think I am just going to let you go?" Charles sounded amused by the idea. The Doctor though didn't notice in his panic. 

"If you don't the universe will be destroyed. Please I am the only one who can stop it," he begged Charles. Charles actually took notice of his words. Leaning back against the desk, he stared the Doctor in the eyes. 

"Stop what?" Charles asked curiously.

"The Time War," The Doctor answered as he tried to figure out how to get out of the chains. 

"The Time War is a myth," Charles sighed. He stood up again as he realized that he wasn't going to get anything out of the Doctor. Well at least not anything intelligent. Still there was pleasure he could take from his body.

"No, it is raging right now, but only the higher races are being affected." He cried out wishing he could make the man understand. "If I don't stop it soon, it will cause the end of time itself."

"Oh dear," Charles mocked him. "We can't have that now can we?" Charles turned sitting down at the desk, ignoring the Doctor for a moment as he made notations on the clipboard. The Doctor struggled harder against the chains that held him frantically looking for a way out. Any moment now the Time Lord's were going to use their final weapon and then all hope would be lost. He didn't notice as Charles looked at his watch and then went to the cupboard. He pulled out a syringe filling it with a clear liquid. As he approached the Doctor, he made sure all of the air was out of the syringe. The Doctor's eyes went wide as he watched. 

"All right. Just calm down and tell me what you want. I might be able to help you." He watched frantically afraid of what the man was planning on injecting him with. He prayed silently it wasn't a sedative as he couldn't afford to waist anymore time. "Please just talk to me. You don't have to drug me to get what you want."

"No, but it makes it so much more fun when you can't fight back," Charles whispered. He stared the Doctor in the eyes as he roughly shoved the needle into his thigh. The Doctor panicked as his legs went numb. Charles just watched him, seeing the fear fill the Doctor's eyes as he realized he was trapped. Releasing the Doctor's hands first, the Doctor collapsed to the ground his legs no longer able to support him. Still he tried to escape pulling himself along the ground. Charles let him have a moments hope that he was going to make it as he unbuckled his belt. 

The Doctor cried out as he was lifted from the ground, slammed against the desk, and entered roughly in one swift movement. The pain never ceased until finally Charles spilled himself deep inside him. He was still crying as he was chained back up to the wall. The man smiled at him and kissed him softly on the lips. 

"I'll see you tomorrow night," Charles whispered in his ear before nibbling on his ear. He flinched away from him and the man laughed as he picked up his paperwork. Picking up his paperwork, he turned off the light as he left the Doctor alone once more in the room. The Doctor tried to compose himself once he was alone. He was a warrior now. Warriors didn't cry. Still never in his long life had anyone violated his body in such a manner. He couldn't understand why Charles had. He was still trying to figure out how he got into this prediciment when the door opened. A pretty young blond girl came into the room. She didn't seem surprised to see him hanging from the wall, nor did she make any move to release him. 

"Please help me," He begged his voice hoarse and shaky from crying.

"Just give me a name to send your possessions to and I will make sure they get it." She told him.

He looked her in the eyes, seeing the sadness in them. He said the first words that came to mind even though they didn't make sense to him. "Torchwood, Cardiff."


	11. Chapter 11

"There is a young lady here to see you," Ianto informed Jack as he opened the door to the office. He had knocked several times, but Jack had failed to answer or come to the door as he dealt with the Doctor. 

"I don't have an appointment." Jack brushed him off as he was calmly trying to wrestle the Doctor back into a shirt. The Doctor had decided he only wanted to wear trousers only today. In fact, in order to remain shirtless, he was fighting Jack to keep it off. His arms were crossed against his chest and he pulled his arm away everytime Jack tried to slip it into a sleeve. Normally Jack would just let him go shirtless but the hub was cold and he didn't want the Doctor getting sick. Why he decided he didn't need a shirt, Jack wasn't sure as he had worn one just fine until this morning.

"She has a package for you. She insists that it must be delivered in person." Ianto stated. 

"Did you scan it at least to make sure it isn't dangerous?" Jack wondered slightly worried that she wouldn't allow anyone to take the delivery. He would come back if anything happened, but the thought of the Doctor being hurt again angered him. 

"Yes," Ianto informed him in a snide tone. 

"Fine, send her in," Jack responded as he managed to get the shirt on the Doctor. The Doctor pulled at the shirt unhappily, frowning at Jack. The look on his face made it seem as though Jack had just punished him rather than just helping him to dress. Jack wasn't going to be swayed by his pouting, though. "Leave it on," He scolded the Doctor, moving his hand away from his shirt. The Doctor crossed his arms again, glaring at Jack. Moving away from him, Jack sat down at his desk. Almost as soon as he was seated he watched as the Doctor immediately pulled his shirt off. Throwing it as far away from himself as he could, he settled back in the chair and then grinned at Jack. Jack shook his head as the door to his office opened once more. 

"Doctor," A young female tutted as she walked in the room carrying a small cardboard box. "It's cold in here. You shouldn't be going shirtless now should you?" The Doctor grinned at her.

"Who are you?" Jack asked suspiciously as he motioned for her to sit in the seat across from him, keeping himself between her and the Doctor. She sat down in the chair placing the box on her lap and looked at him.

"My name is not important, in fact, the less you know about me the better. It is my employers that you should be worried about." She replied. Jack narrowed his eyes at her.

"And why is that," He asked. She didn't respond as she handed him the cardboard box. Jack took it from her, slightly surprised by how light it was. On the top was an index card with the Doctor's name on it as well as the words, Subject number 2428D. Jack narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he opened the box. Sitting in the box were numerous items that he didn't recognize. Yet he seethed in anger as he picked up the sonic screwdriver and a small billfold that he recognized as the Doctor's psychic paper. "You have five seconds to start explaining," He informed her through clenched teeth.

"That is going to take a while." She replied calmly.

"You're not going anywhere," Jack responded just as pleasantly.

-Time-?

"Mel, I've seemed to got myself into a bit of a predicament," the Doctor complained. He pulled half-heartedly at the chains. He then lifted his head to look at the young lady sitting at the desk in front of him. "You're not Mel," he told her accusingly.

"No," She replied sadly. She had been sitting there for almost a half an hour now and it was the third time the Doctor had acknowledged her presence. Each time he seemed to forget she was there as he lowered his head again, becoming lost in his thoughts. "Do you remember what we were talking about?"

"That the cause of the problem is an extremely crude low orbital satellite capable only of the most rudimentary of radio transmissions." He responded matter of factly. His head fell so once more his chin was resting against his chest. She was afraid she had lost him again, but she still tried to continue on. 

"I don't know what you mean, Doctor you have to concentrate. You told me the box needed to go to Cardiff Torchwood, but I need to know when. You have to give me a year," She pleaded with him desperately. He raised his head to look at her. His brown eyes were full of confusion.

"Why would I tell you a place I have never heard of?" He asked her. He rolled his head to the side, resting it against his arm. "And why I am naked, what have you done with my clothes? Now would you please fetch me my sweater and hat so that I can be on my way?" She stood up and walked over to him.

"Please, Doctor just tell me what year to send the box too." She looked into his confused brown eyes. She could see that he was desperately trying to make sense of what was going on in front of him. When he couldn't though, he clung to the information that he knew. 

"Will you go and get Mel from beside the pool, so she can release me?" He asked her finally. "Young people today, no spirit of adventure. I intended to explore and she wanted to laze by the pool." He shook his head in disgust. 

-DW-

"I was hired on as a receptionist. All I had to do was file the paperwork that came through and make sure that the possessions were securely locked up. I was told that everyone was a volunteer for drug testing," She started to explain and Jack scoffed at her. He could tell that she was lying, but at least she was talking to him so he let her continue. How much of it was a lie he would determine later as he had no intention of letting her go back to her place of employment. "I realized quickly that wasn't true, no one was there voluntarily but by then I knew that if I left I would end up as one of them."

"What kind of drugs do they test?" Jack interrupted.

"I was never told. I was just instructed to collect the information if necessary and to file. I was one time informed that if I wanted to know about the drugs, they would be happy to give me a demonstration after I had filed my own paperwork" She shuddered. Jack leaned back in his chair, placing his hands behind his head. 

"Go on," he sneered.

"I did my job filing just as I was asked. Occasionally, I would enter a room or two, to collect information for those who refused to provide it upon their arrival. Mainly I was sent in because they refused to sign the paperwork. There were a few exceptions, including the Doctor that had also refused to provide a next of kin. Normally, though, by the time I was sent in all of them willing signed it, answering any questions posed to them, except for him." She looked at the Doctor. "He still refused to sign or give me a next of kin."

"That sounds like him." Jack couldn't help but smile at the Doctor's stubbornness. It was one characteristic that had remained despite the pain the people had caused him. 

"He instead talked to me. He asked if I really believed that all they did was test drugs and wanted to know if I wanted to watch as he was beaten and raped." She saw the anger return to Jack's eyes and she flinched at how quickly his mood had changed. 

"So they did rape him," Jack hissed, his voice deathly calm. "I had hoped she was wrong."

"Who was wrong?" She asked. Jack put his hands down, leaning forward in his chair. He crossed his arms on the desk, glaring at her. 

"I am the one asking questions here," Jack snapped shortly, "Now continue." The Doctor whimpered at Jack's tone of voice. Jack stood up quickly going to him. The Doctor had curled himself up in his chair, hugging his legs as he stared at them. Kneeling down so that he was eye level with the Doctor, he gently brushed his hair back from his face. "Hey, I'm not mad at you. We're just having a nice chat.," He cooed wrapping his arms around the Time Lord and hugging him close for a moment. The Doctor hugged him back tightly. Jack broke the hug. Pulling his chair closer to him, he sat down next to him. The Doctor leaned into him and Jack gently rubbed his back soothingly.

"Please continue," Jack told her finally.

"I left the room that day, but I found myself returning time and time again. I kept telling myself it was to get the information I needed but in reality I wanted to help him, I just didn't know how yet. He had suggested a key, but it wasn't that simple. One morning I came in and he was crying. I had never seen him cry up to that point and that is when he gave me two words, Cardiff Torchwood."

"Did he tell you why he was crying?" Jack wondered. She shook her head. 

"I looked up Torchwood and found out about you, but that gave me the problem of trying to deliver it. I didn't know what year to and every time I went to talk to him, he couldn't remember me being there before. That is when I began to lose hope."


	12. Chapter 12

Her words angered Jack to the point that he didn't respond right away. She had no right to talk about losing hope when she had worked for the company that had kept the Doctor captive. Jack seethed as he wondered how many days had passed while the Doctor slowly lost hope that he would ever be rescued from his continueous nightmare. Jack wanted to chain her up in the cells and see how long it took her to lose hope that help would ever come. Except that he was better than that. He had to be, for the Doctor's sake. The Doctor would never approve of him taking revenge. 

"You lost hope," Jack whispered slowly. He paused waiting until she opened her mouth to speak then spoke the words again. "You lost hope," He spat, letting his anger show through in his tone. 

"Yes," she answered him soflty. Jack started to stand up, ready to grab her and drag her to the cells. The only thing that stopped him was the reminder that the Doctor needed him. 

"Banana Jack," The Doctor told him, interrupting the conversation.

"Not now at supper," Jack responded automatically as he glanced at the Time Lord. He turned his eyes back to look at the young female and felt as well as heard the slap across his arm. He quickly looked back at the Doctor who was glaring at him with his hand raised. Jack waited until he swung again before grabbing his wrist to stop him.

"Stop it," Jack hissed. He stared the Doctor directly in the eyes until the Doctor glanced away from him. Then and only then did Jack risk releasing his arm. The Doctor lowered his hand and continued to glare at Jack as he pointed to Jack's wrist. THe Doctor wasn't able to tell time as far as Jack knew, but he had often seen Jack look at his watch to determine when it was time to eat. Jack humored him as he looked down and saw what time it was. "Shit, I'm sorry, Doc." He turned to look at the woman agan as he stood completely up. "We have to take a break, it is past his supper time and thanks to your experiments he likes to keep a schedule. Yet you just had to come in and mess with it. No wonder he is mad." He walked over to the door and opened it. "Ianto, come here please."

"Yes," Ianto said as he came into the room less than a minute later. He had been waiting near the bottom of the stairs in case Jack need him or if the girl tried to make a run. 

"I need to get the Doctor his supper and then settled for the night. Can you stay late and keep an eye on her? If she tries to leave I want you to lock her down in the cells," He informed Ianto.

"Am I your prisoner?" She asked sounding curious.

"The only reason I am still talking to you is you are willingly offering information and came here on your own accord. If you want I could have you shackled up in one of the cells. I am sure I have drugs that will make you talk." Jack smiled at her as she turned pale. "I take that as a no. Come along Doctor let's go eat." He took the Doctor's hand and led him to the kitchen.

 

Time-?

He was screaming in pain that had started at his feet and was slowly moving up his body. He wondered if this is waht it felt like to be burned alive. The pain was similiar to regeneratin as it felt as though it was going to rip him apart. He didn't think it was possible to be in so much pain. He wanted to die or at the very least regenerate and have it end. The pain squeeed his chest making it hard to breathe. His hearts pounded faster in his chest as they tried to circulate what little oxygen they recieved. It was almost a relief when the pain reached his head. Darkness covered his mind, making it hard to think. He gave into it allowing it to take over until he felt the pain disappear.

When he awoke he didn't want to open his eyes. His body felt weak and he was covered in sweat from the pain. He could hear a pen scratching on a piece of paper. Forcing his eyes open a crack he could see the man was sitting at his desk writing on the clipboard. 

"Much better reactions today. I think we are finally making some progress," the man told him cheerfully. He wasn't sure how the man knew that he was awake. He opened his mouth to yell at the man. His mouth felt as though he had swallowed sand and his throat burned. 

"Water," he moaned instead, his voice barely audible.

"No, no, not today." The man responded. "We'll see how it goes tomorrow. If I like the results, I will consider it." 

"Please," he begged feeling the tears fill his eyes as the man denied him a drink. The man ignored him as he straightened the paperwork and put it into the desk. 

"Good night Doctor," He replied with a smile. He hummed to himself as he turned off the lights and shut the door tightly behind him. The Doctor's eyes were too dry to cry properly, but still he sobbed silently as he was left alone in the dark room. He didn't know how long he had been trapped, but being denied water was the final straw. He cried miserably as he wondered how much longer he would be forced to survive before death finally took him. He sniffed, wiping his face on his arm as the door opened again. He wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of seeing him cry. When the lights turned on and he saw her standing there, he couldn't help the smile that cross his face. In all of the times that she had had entered this room, he had never been as happy to see her. 

"Water," he whimpered, looking at her hopefully. She closed the door tightly behind her and locked the door. Reaching into her purse she pulled out a bottle of water and crossed the room to him. He didn't question why she had a bottle of water with her as he licked his chapped lips. 

"I could get in trouble for this," She informed him. He didn't care. He just waited as she opened the bottle, bringing it to his mouth. He took a long sip, feeling the cool water coat his dry mouth and moisten his throat. It tasted strange, but he couldn't stop himself from trying to take another drink as his body needed the water. He swallowed mouthful after mouthful greedily, worried that she would have to leave before he was able to finish the bottle. She held the bottle for him the entire time but she kept tipping it back so he was forced to slow down. "You'll make yourself sick," She chasised him as she closed the half drank bottle and sat down at the desk.

"Have you decided to let me go yet?" He questioned as he stared at her. 

"You remember me today," She asked, her eyebrows raising in surprise.

"Yes, did I not the last time you were here?" He responded his voice still hoarse. He cleared his throat but it didn't help the itch that he felt. He needed more water and to rest.

"No, for the last week you keep asking for someone named Mel," She told him. 

"I'm sorry. I don't remember," He began to cry again. He thought he was able to remember today, but his head was feeling strange. What seemed clear was now hidden under a thick fog. "I don't know what's happening to me."

"It's the drugs," She told him calmly. "You have to fight them Doctor." He closed his eyes and let his head fall. 

"I just want to sleep. Please Peri, just let me sleep a little longer." He opened his eyes suddenly. "Something's wrong. Something's very wrong. Oh no, has it come to that?"

"Has it come to what?" She asked.

"I am a living peril to the universe. I shall become a hermit, and you, child, shall be my disciple," He replied closing his eyes again. He fell asleep for a short time. When he awoke she was still sitting there watching him. His eyes found the bottle on the desk and he looked up at her hopefully. 

"Water," he whimpered.


	13. Chapter 13

Jack had expected a difficult day, due to Martha interrupting them this afternoon to start trying to get a sense of the Doctor's mental level. She had a difficult time assessing him as he refused to acknowledge her for the most part and when he did it was in his broken English. He seemed to be doing all right, but then the girl had arrived and that had been the end of it. With his schedule being disrupted three times, he was pacing as Jack presented his dinner. He ignored it reaching for a banana instead. Jack let him eat it, then tried to get him to eat the can of soup that he had prepared for him, but the Doctor had refused to touch anything else. Jack had then tried to get a sense of normalcy back by leading the Doctor to the couch to watch a movie, but it was too late. He had gone into hysterics upon entering the room and thrown Jack into the wall. Jack had quickly restrained him, leading him down to the cells. The Doctor was crying and screaming by the time they made it downstairs. It wasn't his fault that his day was interrupted and Jack felt bad as he locked the cell behind the screaming Time Lord. Jack looked at his watch. Unless the Doctor calmed down quickly he was going to be in the cell the rest of the night. He turned leaving him alone and started back up the stairs.

"Jack," The Doctor called after him angrily. Jack stopped half way up them as he fought turning around to look at him. "Jack." He slammed his fist hard against the cell followed by a thump of what could only be his head hitting the bulletproof glass. Jack swallowed hard, choosing to ignore him as he headed up to his office. Ianto was standing outside of it guarding the door.

"You're back early," Ianto stated not sounding surprised. He had heard the Doctor screaming and was sure that all of Cardiff heard the screaming as well. 

"Yeah, well he's had a rough day. It's not his fault his schedule was disrupted. We will just have to be more careful tomorrow to make sure that it doesn't happen again." Jack placed his hand on the doorknob and started to turn it.

"I'll watch the CCTV. If he calms down soon, I will bring him up to your office for you," Ianto informed Jack turning to head down the stairs.

"Thank you, Ianto. For everything," Jack replied pausing.

"I'm just doing my job." Ianto brushed him off as he headed down. Jack watched him for a minute before entering his office.

"Where were we?" He asked as he sat down at his desk and put his feet up. "No, don't tell me, I remember. You were starting to lose hope," he spat in almost a joking tone. "I wonder when he lost hope."

"Everyday, I saw him and refused to help him. The worse thing is that, I knew it too," She replied not looking Jack in the eyes. "He had called me a coward once, I denied it, of course, but he was right. I was a coward. I couldn't help him because I was too afraid of the consequences. I was terrified that he would escape and they would put me in his place."

"So make it right now. You already failed to help him once, but you can help him now. All you have to do is tell me who your employers are so I can kill them," Jack hissed angrily at her. 

"It won't be that simple, it is on a military compound, they would kill you before you had a chance to kill them," She informed him. Jack couldn't help the smile that crossed his face at that statement. Obviously they had no idea who he was. 

"That's okay I am a hard man to keep dead," Jack chuckled. Their conversation was interrupted once more by a soft knock at the door. Before Jack could ask "Who is it," the door opened and the Doctor shuffled in. He looked angry still, but it was obvious he had calmed down. He ignored Jack as he went over to his chair, sat down and turned on the telly to a children's program.

"We have a guest," Jack told him. The Doctor glanced briefly at Jack as he picked up the remote, turning up the telly a little louder. He curled up in his chair stare at it, continuing to ignore Jack.

"I don't mind," She said. "We can still talk." The telly got louder.

"Doctor, turn it down," Jack hissed firmly. The Doctor glared at him as once more he turned it up instead. He looked over at Jack with a look as though he was inviting Jack to stop him and Jack sighed. He realized that even if the Doctor had been calm enough to be released from the cells he was close to going right back in. Jack really didn't want to make him yet. Choosing to let the Doctor watch the telly, he stood up and went to the door.

"Ianto," He called out. He waited in the doorway for the young Welshman, keeping an eye on both the people in his office. The Doctor was calm again as he laid his head on the arm of the chair staring up at the cartoon.

"Sir," Ianto appeared holding paperwork.

"Will you take her down to one of the cells and lock her in for the night?" Jack asked him.

"Is there a problem?" Ianto inquired. 

"Not one I can't handle." Jack turned and went back into the office. "We will continue our conversation tomorrow. Ianto is going to take you down to the cells and lock you in. Is that understood?" She nodded grimly. Not fighting them, she then stood up going to the door. Ianto took her arm, leading her the rest of the way out of the office. As soon as they were heading down the stairs, the Doctor turned off the TV and he looked sad as he stared at Jack.

"Tired Jack," He sighed.

"You want to try and get some sleep?" Jack asked hopefully but was confused when the Doctor shook his head no. "Come on, let's go and lay down anyway." The Doctor allowed Jack to lead him down to their room. He then laid down with his head on Jack's chest, his arm wrapped around his waist but as Jack gently stroked his hair he turned to look at Jack.

"Tired Jack," He whimpered again, this time he had tears in his eyes. Jack couldn't remember the last time that the Doctor looked so defeated. He started to cry and Jack wrapped his arms tightly around him pulling him close.

"It's okay," He whispered softly. "I know Martha thinks you are lost to us, but I have be selfish and believe that you can come back. You have to come back, Doctor." He continued to hold the Doctor long after he had cried himself to sleep.

-DW-

It was with great difficulty and a heavy heart that Jack locked the Doctor in the cell later that night. The Doctor had slept for an hour before he was up again. He was calmer than normal that night and he managed to hold out until about 1 am before he became completely unmanageable. For the first time in a long time, Jack sat down on the ground outside the cell and watched the Doctor stomp about.

"He's going to do this all night," Jack told her unapologetically as she leaned against the glass in the last cell. He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. She looked frightened and he almost felt bad for her. His shirt though was stained from the Doctor's tears and the Doctor's screams filled the cells. Jack leaned his head back against the stones closing his eyes.

As morning came the Doctor didn't even seem to notice Jack was still there as he grew sluggish. He flipped his mattress down from where it stood sideways against the wall. He sat down on it twice before finally settling down on it as Jack watched on. He still wasn't calm enough to sleep so he tossed and turned restlessly for a while before curling into a ball and closing his eyes. Jack waited for a few minutes longer to make sure the Time Lord was really settled before standing up and entering the cell. After his breakdown last night, Jack didn't have the heart to leave him in there alone any longer than he had too. He bent down and very slowly, very gently started to pick up the sleeping Doctor. The Doctor groaned. He continued his slow movements until the Doctor groaned louder. He waited as the Doctor turned into him and wrapped his arms around his neck. He then nestled his face against Jack's chest, sighing contently. Jack stood the rest of the way up, cuddling the Doctor close as he headed out of the cells. He paused at the bottom of the stairs. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her watching him. 

"I don't think he ever really came home, do you?"


	14. Chapter 14

Martha couldn't sleep that night as she thought about how she could help the Doctor. He had made the first day of her assessment difficult not only by his language barriers but by his stubbornness as well. While it was nice to see a hint of the old Doctor, she really wished he would find a better time to show it. Especially when he decided to play games with her. She had placed him in a room alone with a two-way mirror and several objects. She had hoped to get an idea of his mentality by what he chose to do in her absence. Except as she entered the side room, he smiled at the mirror and she could have sworn that he saw her. He then proceeded to sit with his back to it until she went back in the room. She wasn't sure whether or not he had actually seen her, but it was obvious that she was going to have to find another way to test him. With that in mind, she arrived at the hub earlier than normal. As she was coming in the first thing she saw was Jack carrying the Doctor.

"Oh, my god," She gasped as she rushed over to them. "Is he alright?"

"He's fine. He just fell asleep and I was going to try taking him to bed for a change." Jack whispered. The Doctor moaned, burying his face further into Jack's chest as Jack adjusted his grip. He lowered his voice even more as he continued talking to Martha. "Also, there is a girl in the cells who probably needs a drink and something to eat. Would you mind taking care of that?"

"Not a problem. If you don't mind, though, can I ask who she is?" Martha questioned him. Jack shrugged the best he could with his arms full of the Time Lord. 

"You could try, she probably won't tell you either," Jack answered sarcastically as he disappeared into his room. He laid the Doctor down on the bed, covering him with his blanket. Turning off the light he headed leave.

"Jack," He heard the Doctor whimper. Stopping he turned to look at him. The Doctor barely had his head raised from the pillow and was staring at Jack with sad sleepy eyes. 

"You're alright. Just go back to sleep," Jack whispered. The Doctor lifted up his arms up asking in a childlike manner for Jack to pick him up again. Jack instead toed off his shoes as he went back over to the bed. Lifting up the blankets, he laid down taking the Doctor into his arms. The Doctor snuggled against his chest, grabbing a handful of his shirt. Jack reached up, gently stroking the hair behind the Doctor's ear as his eyes closed and his breathing evened out once more. Jack continued to lay there with him as the Doctor slept peacefully for the next few hours. Sooner, than Jack would have liked, the Doctor's peaceful sleeping gave way to distressed whimpers. His grip on Jack's shirt tightened once more as his eyes flew open. 

"It was just a bad dream. I promise you're safe and nothing is going to hurt you again. Now just close your eyes and go back to sleep," Jack cooed. Jack wasn't sure if the Doctor understood him as his eyes started to drift closed again. His breathing evened out and he was almost asleep when he forced his eyes back open. He squirmed in Jack's arms until Jack released him allowing him to sit up.

"No tired banana," He exclaimed happily, even as his eyelids started to droop. 

"You need to sleep more first. You're exhausted." Jack sat up taking the Doctor once more in his arms. Gently, he kissed the Doctor on the top of his head as he laid them both back down. The Doctor sighed dramatically as he laid his head on Jack's chest staring up at him with large sad brown eyes. Jack tried to focus on a point on the wall across the room and ignore the Doctor, hoping he would give up. He realized his mistake, though as the Doctor took advantage of Jack ignoring him. Jack felt the Doctor shift in his grip as the Doctor tried to inch his way slowly off the bed. 

"Stay still and sleep," Jack told him firmly.

"No," The Doctor replied. He squirmed harder in Jack's arms until Jack had no choice but to release his grip or risk hurting him. Taking advantage of the situation, the Doctor quickly slithered to the end of the bed. Once there he sat up again and crossed his arms.

"Okay, you know the drill," Jack sighed as he got out of bed. Going around to the end, he checked the Doctor out for any new injuries and was relieved to find that apart from a few scratches he hadn't hurt himself last night. "All right. I think you can shower without having to have Martha fix you up first today."

"You think so," Martha asked coming in the room to check on the two of them. The Doctor groaned upon seeing her. He held up his bare arms and turned them so Martha could see. Even if she didn't like Jack's assessment, she could see that he was right. The Doctor hadn't been as rough on his body while in the cell last night and didn't need medical care this morning. "All right. Go get in the shower," She laughed. 

Eager to get away, he hopped off the bed and rushed into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Martha and Jack moved so that were standing right outside the door waiting for The Doctor in case he needed them. They were trying to give him independence again by showering by himself in the mornings, but both of them worried about him hurting himself while alone.

"So how did it go last night." Martha asked as the water turned on 

"Well he was fine after she arrived until I missed his supper," Jack started.

"Who is she?" Martha interrupted. She had asked the girl when she had taken breakfast to her. The girl had refused to answer her, though. 

"As far as I can tell, she works for the people who held him. She has only discussed them holding him up until now, so I haven't figured out if she was sent here or came here on her own yet. She is cooperating at the moment, so I am hopeful that she will answer my questions." He paused as he heard giggling. Listening he heard the sound of the water being turned on and then off repeated. He sighed. "One second." He opened the door and looked towards the shower. The shower curtain was open allowing him to see the Doctor standing there completely naked with the shower head in his hand.

"Stop playing with the water and just shower," He scolded him. The words were barely out of his mouth before he received his reply. The Doctor turned the shower head so that it was facing him as once more he turned on the water. It sprayed across the bathroom, wetting the tiles as it hit Jack in the face. Jack swore as he pulled the door quickly closed to stop the carpet from getting wet. From behind the door, there was a loud giggle but the water stayed on. Jack hoped silently that it was spraying inside the tub again as he didn't hear it hitting the door as the Doctor continued to giggle.

"You sure told him," Martha chuckled as she grabbed a towel. Jack took it, drying his face. He then continued with his story as if nothing had happened. 

"Anyway, I missed his supper so he got mad and hit me. Then about a half hour later he body slammed me into the wall when I tried to get him to relax on the couch. I put him in the cell to calm down while I tried to talk to her again. I thought he would be in there all night, but Ianto watched him eventually letting him out again. He then ignored me, cried himself to sleep, and then managed to avoid the cell until about one in the morning. Jack summarized for her as he threw the wet towel on top of his laundry." Jack grabbed a spare towel out of the cupboard and started to dry off. "He seemed desperate last night, like he knew something was wrong but couldn't figure out what."

"It's possible that he might know that something is different about him, even if he can't vocalize what it is," Martha agreed. Jack shook his head. 

"But you can't tell me anything still?" He questioned. Hearing the water in the bathroom turn off again, he picked up a towel for the Doctor to use. 

"Not yet," She agreed as the door to the bathroom opened and the Doctor stepped out still soaking wet. He took the towel from Jack and held it to his body. Jack rolled his eyes, grabbing an end of the towel helping the Doctor to dry off. Once dry Jack dressed him in his trousers but the Doctor fought as Jack tried to get him to put a shirt on. He crossed his arms, wiggling his body until Jack gave up, throwing the shirt aside. 

"Why don't you like shirts lately?" Jack asked him exasperated. The Doctor just smiled at him playfully as he rushed to the door, but didn't leave without Jack beside him. Jack caught up to him easily and took the Doctor's hand as together they went up to the kitchen, sitting down to eat. A few minutes later Ianto entered with the girl and a cup of coffee for Jack. 

"Sit," Jack told her pleasantly. He motioned to one of the chairs at the table as he helped Martha make oatmeal for the group.

"Thank you." She sat down in the chair across from the Doctor. He smiled at her briefly as he waited impatiently for his breakfast.

"You know it might make things easier if we at least had something we could call you," Martha told her as she handed her a bowl of oatmeal. She placed a second one in front of the Doctor, who frowned at it unhappy with her offering. He immediately tried to push it to the floor. Jack grabbed his hand to stop him. He then took the spoon, taking a bite to show the Doctor the food was good. He placed the spoon back in the bowl and then swallowed. The Doctor smiled happily at him as he got another big spoonful, offering it once again for Jack to eat.

"No, you eat it," Martha told him. He made a face at her but listened placing the spoon in his mouth. Martha watched as he chewed slowly before she turned back to the girl. "So what can we call you?"

"Call me Sky," She responded.


	15. Chapter 15

Time-?

He was beginning to forget himself. He tried desperately to cling onto anything that was real, besides the pain that had become his life. The pain overwhelmed him, though, and made it hard for him to think. He would close his eyes for what he thought was just a moment and suddenly days had gone by. He couldn't remember the last time he had awoken when he wasn't confused about where he was or why for the first few moments. As it came back to him, he would be hopeful that maybe it was all just a nightmare as he hung in the dark. That was until the sharp sting of the needle sank into his bruised flesh, or the blow across his chest took his breath away. 

He was afraid. More terrified than he would ever admit to the two men who held him captive or even to the young girl who would enter the room and try to talk to him. He wasn't afraid of death not anymore at least, even if he couldn't remember why. No, he was afraid he was forgetting who he was and that was dangerous. For he knew things that should never be spoken. But he could easily resolve that couldn't he? All he had to do was remember what his name was. What was his name?

Time-?

She opened the door slowly and peered in. If he was asleep, she was going to let him rest as it wasn't very often they allowed him to. He was awake as usual, though. His head was down as the door opened, but he lifted it as she entered. His eyes were full of tears and he refused to look her in the eyes.

"Tegan," He whispered sadly as the door opened. "Come to ask me about Adric again." He looked away and towards the shackles that were holding him in place, but he didn't see them as he was lost in his memory. "Do you realize yet that, he died trying to save others. There are somethings that you can't change. This is one of them."

"How could you save someone who is already dead?" She wondered as she came closer to her. He looked at her his eyes narrowing in confusion at her question. She had traveled with him, surely she knew by now that the TARDIS was able to go back in time. He could land on the ship that Adric was on, pulling him off before it crashed into the Earth. He couldn't, though. Not even to save the life of the young man that he had cared about. 

"In the TARDIS, of course" he answered her, sounding confused. "But don't ever ask me to do anything like that again."

"Could you save yourself?" She wondered. The Doctor didn't answer her right away as his eyes started to drift closed. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a bottle of water offering it to him. He didn't seem to notice it, so she stood up moving so she was right in front of him. He forced them open again as she pressed the bottle of water to his lips. He drank the water greedily until she pulled the bottle away, closing the lid tightly. 

"Why would I need to do such a thing?" He asked finally continuing their conversation. 

"Because you're a prisoner here. If you go back in time you could stop yourself from coming to this place," she explained to him. He narrowed his eyes at her. 

"Stop talking nonsense child," he mumbled as once more his eyes drifted closed. She left the room as he breathing evened out in sleep that his body desperately needed. 

-DW-

"Could he have?" Sky asked out loud. All eyes turned to look at her in confusion. It was only then that she realized she had been daydreaming. Her cheeks glowed red with embarrassment as she hung her head.

"Could he have what?" Martha wondered curiously as she watched Sky.

"S-saved himself," Sky stuttered. "I-I mean could, he go back and stop himself from going to the military base."

"He could," Jack responded finally.

"Would he?" Sky questioned. Jack sat forward a little. 

"You supposedly have known him for awhile." Jack looked her in the eyes as he repeated the question back to her. "Would he?"

"No," She replied. "You wouldn't would you Doctor?" The Doctor just smiled at her from where he sat next to Jack. They finished eating the small breakfast, leaving Ianto to clean up. Together the four of them moved to Jack's office to continue their discussion about the Doctor's capture. Even though Jack had tried to leave the Doctor with Ianto he had still followed them up to Jack's office, sitting in his chair like normal. Jack tried to get him to go back to the kitchen, but the Doctor had held onto the chair, staring up at Jack defiantly. Not sure he actually wanted the Doctor there, he discussed briefly with Martha about letting the Doctor stay in the room and listen. It was only because the Doctor had fought them to stay that in the end Jack had given into him. He decided that the Doctor deserved to hear what happened to him, even if he couldn't understand it.

"So where were we?" Jack asked once they were settled. 

Time-?

"Shush. I've got a ringing in my head. Listen. Can you hear?" He asked the man standing in front of him.

"A ringing," the man wondered curiously. "I've never heard of this drug making the head ring, but then again no one has held out for as long as you. What kind of ringing is it?"

"I'm not telling you because I know what you want, you're as transparent as good old-fashioned glass. You and that young blonde girl who keeps showing up," the Doctor replied snidely. 

"What young blonde?" The man questioned. He sounded confused, but the Doctor didn't buy it for a second. He was sure that this man knew who the young woman was who kept coming into the room. She had appeared just the night before offering him water and asking him ridiculous questions. He wasn't having it, though. She could keep her questions to herself and he had told her the same.

"Yes, she could be the biggest danger of all and you just let her roam. I am banishing her." He announced. "And you, now leave my sight." He turned his head from the man. The man chuckled. 

"No, I think not." He responded.

Time-?

"Doctor, please hang on," She told him as she sat watching him. It had been days now since he had spoken to her. He just stared down towards the floor all life gone from his eyes. She was beginning to worry that he was gone though that was impossible if they were still keeping him here. Once he stopped giving them results they would draw up the fatal dose of drugs, injecting it into his arm. It would then be her job to send the box with his possessions in it to Torchwood. 

"Doctor can you hear me. Just speak to me please," She begged. Relief filled her as he finally looked up at her and smiled. His eyes remained distant and she knew he wasn't really seeing her but once again was seeing someone from his memories.

"My dear child, if you're going to be with us for any length of time, you'll have to do something about that English of yours," he told her pompously.

"What's wrong with my English," she asked confused. She had passed at almost the top of her class in school and he had never complained about her grammar before. She wasn't sure why he was complaining now. 

"It's terrible, child. Oh, it's most irritating." He explained. She couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped from her mouth. She tried to stop but soon she found herself giggling harder.

"What's so funny child?" he asked her confused.

"You are. Here you are shackled to a wall and you are complaining about my grammar." She shook her head. Her giggle caught in her throat as he didn't react to her words. "You can't give up. If you give up that means they have won. You can't let them win."

"I don't know what you are going on about, child. It would be best if you held your tongue from now on," He scolded her. She stared up at him. 

"You don't realize what is happening to you anymore. You have to fight or they have already won," She advised him quietly.

Time-?

He didn't understand why he was chained up. One moment, he had been in the academy studying for a test, then the next he was here, chained to a wall. His wrists ached, but it was nothing compared to the pain that he felt through his body. He had to have been her for awhile now. That was impossible, though, as he knew he had just been at the academy. Perhaps it was a test. They had been taught that they should be prepared for anything. Maybe his teachers had drugged him and locked him up until he figured out how to escape. He tried to remember if he ever heard of someone being captured before, but his head hurt too much to focus. He was being ridiculous. His teachers wouldn't chain him up. He did know someone that would find amusement in capturing him, though. It had to be that Koschei was playing a trick on him.

"Koschei, I am done playing now, let me go," He called out in the dark room.

"Koschei," He yelled again hopeful that his best friend was just around the corner and would let him down. He really hoped that it was soon as he couldn't afford to fail another test. He was already in trouble and on the verge of being disowned once and for all by his father. He couldn't shame him again. He kept calling for Koschei to let him down, but he eventually went silent as his calls went unanswered.

Time-?

She went to the room where they were holding the Doctor earlier than normal. He was still slipping away from her and she was doing everything in her power to help him hold on. Normally when she approached the door, she could hear one of the men talking to him, or him crying out in pain. This time, though, she heard loud heartbreaking sobs with the occasional whimper of the word stop. She thought about turning around, but she never could walk away when someone was crying. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage and placed her hand on the door. Turning the handle, she opened it slowly to peek inside. She stopped, staring in horror as she saw him bent over the desk. There was a man standing behind him and the Doctor's body jerked with every thrust of the man's hips. The Doctor looked up at her. Tears streamed down his cheeks and as his eyes met hers he stared at her, pleading silently with her to help him as the man continued to move.

"What do you want?" the man asked her, not caring she was in the room as he used the Doctor's body. She didn't know what overcame her. She didn't answer him as she walked forward moving around the desk. She tried not to look at where his body connected with the Doctor's as she clenched her fist. Swinging it as hard as she could, she felt her hand connect with the man's face. He grunted, his head turning sideways as she swung again, hitting him a second time. The third time he caught her arm, wrenching it back painfully. "You bitch. You'll pay for that," He spat. He had blood pouring from his mouth as he spoke and he spit it onto the floor. Moving back he pulled himself out of the Doctor, who crumbled to the floor as the man no longer supported him. . 

She tried to pull away and run, but he held on tightly. Wrapping his other arm around her, he slammed her onto the desk where the Doctor had been moments before. She felt her skirt being pulled up and her panties ripped down violently. She kicked screaming at him to stop as he reached between her legs. She shuddered, feeling her stomach flip but before anything happened he screamed pulling away from her. She moved quickly away from the desk, pulling her skirt down in the process. As she did, she saw the Doctor latched onto his leg biting it hard. The man swung his other foot and kicked the Doctor trying to get him to let go. When the Doctor finally did release his bite, he swung his foot harder and kicked the Doctor in the back of the head. The Doctor didn't even have time to cry out as his head jolted forward before his body went limp on the floor.

The man grabbed her again but this time she was prepared for him. She raked her nails across his face, digging into his eye. He cried out, reaching up to cover his eye. Taking advantage of his confusion, she pushed him as hard as she could, slamming him against the wall. He stood there dazed as she ran over and grabbed a shackle hooking his wrist to the wall. She then turned her attention back to the Doctor. Kneeling down, she ran her hand along his neck looking for an injury. When she found none, she gently turned him over.

"Come on Doctor you have to get up. We have to get you out of here." She thought quickly. There was only a matter of time before the man would be missed and others would come looking for him. She had to be quick. Grabbing the Doctor's arm, she drug him away from the man and then ran out the door closing it behind her. She hurried down to her office, trying to act as casual as possible, hoping no one would pay attention to the fact that her clothes were rumpled. No one did and she made it into the safe keeping room. She located his clothes quickly, then rushed back to the room. When she got back, the Doctor was already beginning to stir with soft whimpers of pain.

"I'm going to get you out of her," She whispered. Opening the box, she grabbed his trousers first, hooking them around his feet. He didn't move as she started trying to get him dressed, but instead laid there limp staring at her, "You have to help me, please help me," She cried as she struggled to pull his trousers on. He reached up and muttered something she didn't understand before gently creasing the side of her face. She smiled back at him. Taking his hand in hers, she kissed it before returning to get him dressed. With no help from him, she managed to get his suit on and buttoned up. She then helped the Doctor to stand. He couldn't hold his own weight, though, and he leaned heavily on her. 

"We need to walk now. I can't carry you so you are going to have to move your feet," She informed him. He looked at her confused as she tugged on his arm trying to get him to move. They made it a few steps when suddenly he cried out in pain, releasing her so that he could grab his arm. With nothing to support him, he fell hard to the ground again. Turning she saw the man had a knife and was swinging it at the Doctor. She pulled the Doctor as far away from him as she could before helping him to his feet once more. He was hesitant to move, but she pulled him as she moved forward forcing him to walk. For the first time since he got to the compound, she led him out of the room. She tried to get him to go towards the nearest exit, but he finally started to move on his own. He didn't want to go to the exit as he tried to pull her the opposite direction.

"No, the exit's this way," She informed him. Once again he ignored her as he stubbornly continued to move forward. She kept up easily with him as he limped down the hall. They met one man on the way and she gave a quick explanation of the Doctor being a new intake. Not that the man cared so they were quickly on their way again. The Doctor stopped as they came to a disused door. He smiled as he reached out trying to open it. He grew angry when he found it locked. Before she had time to react, he began to pound his fist on the door screaming at the top of his lungs. 

"Shh, you have to be quiet or they will find us," she told him. She pulled out her keys, opening the door to find a small room with a blue police box in it. He limped over to the blue box. As they approached it he instinctively began to dig through his pockets.

"If you're looking for a key it is in the other box. I can get it, but I don't know why you want in there. It is just a blue box and if we stay here they are going to catch us," She informed him. The Doctor looked at her a moment. He held his hand out snapping his fingers as he stared it. She watched in surprise as the door opened. Letting her go, he stumbled inside the box on his own as she watched.

"Doctor," She called in confusion after him as she looked inside. Inside there was a large room that didn't belong. Hearing voices outside of the door, she hurried in after him. Once aboard, she closed the doors behind her as she took in the wonder of the room. The inside was larger than the outside and as much as she wanted to go back out to look at the box, she could hear men's voices yelling in the hallway they had come from. It seemed they had already discovered the Doctor was gone and she had no doubt that the man had told them she had helped the Doctor to escape. She looked curiously around the room, taking in the coral as well as the strange console with buttons and levers that sat in the middle. Somehow the Doctor had made it up the ramp and was laying on his side on the ground. He was curled into a small ball as close to the console as he could get. His eyes were wide, yet he was staring blankly across the room.

"Doctor," She whispered softly moving slowly towards him. "We have to get out of here and get to safety." If he heard her at all, she didn't know. "Doctor this place is made of wood they will get through. Then they will kill us both," She tried again. He had made no attempt to move or acknowledge that he had heard her. Not knowing what else to do, she sat down next to him.

She could hear the men moving around outside of the strange room, but try as she might the Doctor refused to listen to her. Except for the gentle rise and fall of his chest she would have doubted he was alive. She pulled his coat around him like a blanket. She then lifted his head and laid it on her leg. Gently she stroked his hair, humming a lullaby as she waited for the men to find them. As she sat, though, time passed around them and soon the men's footsteps were gone.


	16. Chapter 16

"I don't know how long we sat there," Sky told them quietly as she looked up at Jack. "Eventually the sounds of the men's footsteps faded away and once more the building went quiet. He just laid there by the console, though, refusing to move. I stayed with him as long as I could, before I left the TARDIS in search of someone I could trust to help him. As the door closed behind me, the box disappeared. Not knowing what else to do, I stole the box containing the rest of his items and made my way here." 

"I don't agree with you leaving him as it sounds as if he was in shock, but I do see how you didn't have a choice," Martha told her looking over to where the Doctor was sitting next to Jack. His head was rested on Jack's shoulder. Jack was leaning over slightly and had his own head rested against the Doctors. Jack's eyes were red and tears glistened on his cheeks. They were holding hands so tightly that both of their knuckles were white, but neither made a move to release the other one as they took comfort in each other. "What do you think Jack?" Martha asked as he didn't comment. Martha stared at him as he still didn't respond to her. "Jack?"

"He didn't deserve this, Martha," Jack whispered his voice cracking as he finally answered her. He cleared his throat before trying to speak again. "After everything he has done for this miserable universe. This is how he was thanked. Those people knew exactly who he was and they destroyed him for it."

"What would have happened had you not got him out?" Martha asked Sky.

"They would have continued to test the drugs until he stopped responding to them. Once they were sure they had gotten ever last little bit of data that they could from him, they would have killed him," Sky stated. "He was only useful to them as long as they were receiving information."

"What was the data used for," Jack asked her, his voice still hoarse from crying.

"I'm sorry, I don't know. As a receptionist, I was never given access to any of the data that they collected. All of that was handled by the scientist who ran the test," Sky replied.

"You will tell me where they are," Jack told her only moving his eyes to look at Sky. Sky nodded her agreement. Now that Jack knew the whole story she wasn't going to stop him from going after them if that is what he truly wanted to do. On top of that Jack scared her and she was afraid of what he would do if she lied to him. "Then I am going to tear that place down with my bare hands if I have to until only one of them remains alive. Then he and I are going to have a nice long painful chat."

"What will happen to me?" Sky couldn't help but wonder.

"For your information, if it proves to be accurate, and your part in getting him away from that facility, I will offer you protection. If it turns out you have lied to me and you really are a part of this. Then I will get the truth out of you. I'm an ex-time agent. I have been trained in techniques that I have never had the stomach to use until now. I assure you Sky, that if you lied to me, I will make you talk," He replied cruelly. Sky shuddered as he continued to stare at her. "Now Martha, can you please take the Doctor out of the room."

"Any reason why?" Martha asked standing up. She really didn't want to leave Sky alone with Jack if he was planning on continuing to interrogate her for information as she wanted to be privy to it so she could try to use the information to help the Doctor. On the other hand, she did need to work with him again to try to get a sense of his mental capabilities. 

"Because I want a detailed description of the bastard, who did this," Jack responded. Martha shivered as she went over to the Doctor. He didn't pay attention to the hand that she held out to help him stand. He just continued to lean against Jack contently. Martha hated taking him away from Jack when he was clearly comfortable but she agreed that he didn't need to hear what the man who hurt him looked like. He whimpered and held on tighter to Jack as Martha gently took his arm carefully pulling him to stand up. 

"Jack," he whined. Jack smiled and nuzzled him softly with his head. 

"Go with Martha for a little while. When you get back we can have something to eat and then watch the telly together," Jack told him. 

"No, Jack," The Doctor tried again. Jack felt like a monster as he helped Martha get the Doctor to his feet. The Doctor gave Jack a look of complete betrayal as Martha pulled him out of the room. Jack's heart ached for the Time Lord, but he didn't back down. Instead, he waited until the door was closed behind them before turning back to Sky. 

"Where were we?" He questioned.

-DW-

Martha sighed as The Doctor became frustrated with the small puzzle he was putting together. She had placed the pieces in front of him, without the box as a reference, and had asked him to put the puzzle together. He had begun the task for her at first with a look of humor on his face, but now his eyes had narrowed in anger. He laid two pieces down on the table and tried to force them together. When it didn't work, rather than trying another piece, he slammed his fist on two pieces to try to force them together.

"Maybe you should try another piece," Martha suggested softly. He growled at her as he slammed his fist once more into the pieces. When they still wouldn't fit, he reacted quickly swiping his hand across the table, throwing the pieces to the ground. He moved his arm the other way, sending the rest to the ground as well as he yelled incoherently at the puzzle. He wasn't angry or violent enough to go to the cell so Martha just stared at him, waiting for him to calm down. Challenging her, he crossed his arms and stared back at her.

"Pick them up," Martha told him firmly. He narrowed his eyes as he shook his head no. "Doctor, I said, pick them up and put them back on the table." He huffed at her his fist clenching tighter in frustration. Martha didn't back down as she watched him, ready to react if he tried to hit her. She was thankful when a moment later he followed her instructions slowly. He stood up picking the pieces up off the ground and placing them back on the table. Since he was listening, Martha got up to help him. She picked up a few of the further away pieces for him and laid them down with the rest. She then helped him up off the floor. Once they were seated back at the table, he looked at her, waiting for her next instruction. 

"Now what did you accomplish by knocking them to the ground?" Martha asked even though she knew he didn't have the vocabulary to answer her.

"Martha mean," He responded. 

"I am sorry that you feel that way as I am actually trying to help you. Now the correct answer is that you are going to have to restart the puzzle because you knocked all the pieces to the ground," Martha informed him. She turned over all the pieces so that they were laying face up on the table for him to analyze. "Let's try this again."

"Mean Martha," The Doctor told her as he looked at the pieces and selected two. Martha sighed as once again he tried to pound them together with his fist.


	17. Chapter 17

It was just over an hour later before Martha decided to take the Doctor back to Jack. She had completely given up on trying to get him to assemble the puzzle. The pieces were bent and a few of them twisted spread across the floor and table where he had thrown them in another fit of anger. He refused to pick up the pieces again, crossing his arms and declaring Martha mean every time she tried to make him. Finally, realizing she was going to get nowhere else with him today she had given in and returned him to Jack's care. Upon entering Jack's office, the Doctor immediately went to hide in Jack's arms. He pressed his face against Jack's chest as he wrapped his arms around Jack to hold him tightly.

"Bad time?" Jack asked casually, looking up at Martha as he gently rubbed the Doctor's back.

"Mean Martha," The Doctor whimpered into Jack's chest.

"Be nice," Jack scolded him gently even as he chuckled.

"You could say that," Martha responded as she took a seat across from Jack's desk. "In order to get an idea about his mental capabilities I was trying to get him to put together a puzzle. Just a small 20 piece one. I think most of the pieces are still on the floor where he threw them when he became frustrated with it. On the bright side, he has learned a new word, but on the downside, because of that, I have a new nickname."

"On the plus side," Jack commented. "He is still learning so there is still hope he will get better." Martha sighed. As much as she wanted that to be true, she still had little to no hope that the Doctor would ever get better. His beautiful mind had been destroyed and she didn't that was something that he could recover from.

"Where's Sky?" She asked curiously rather than respond to Jack's statement.

"Ianto took her to get some rest down in the cells," Jack informed her. While he meant what he said that he would protect her if she was telling the truth, for now, she was still their prisoner. Once the base, the Doctor had been kept on was taken down, he would see about releasing her. But not until then as he didn't want to risk her informing them he was coming if it turned out he was wrong about her.

"So was she able to give you the description you wanted?" Martha questioned.

"Yes, I have a good idea what the bastard looks like who hurt him. I was also able to get the location of the base from her," Jack told her.

"And?" Martha asked.

"I know of the base that held the Doctor," Jack replied slowly wondering how much he should tell her. He looked down at the man in his arms as he continued. "The problem is that I can't destroy it. The drugs that come out of the research done in the labs save countless lives throughout the 51st and 52nd century. I even know some of the atrocities that happened there to allow them to become the leading drug company. The things that happened to him began when the company first opened their doors in the late 50th century. They tried to get volunteers for their drug trials but because they were a reputable company at the time, volunteers were few and far between. In order to change that, they began capturing people instead. It started out as homeless people they thought no one would miss, but eventually they became bolder testing their drugs on whoever entered the base without permission. They got caught when a reporter went missing after going to the base."

"What happened?" Martha questioned curiously. Jack looked up at her as he decided to tell her everything.

"The base was investigated and their underhanded tactics were discovered. A lot of people were arrested, but the base was invaluable in the medications it was producing by then so it was allowed to remain open. The management and owners of the base were held accountable for their actions as people stepped forward in search of missing relatives. When it finally went to trial the owners were given life in prison while the management received various sentences depending on their involvement. They also paid out a lot of money to the people who were captured or their families for their participation in the drug trials. All future test subjects were volunteers and the base had mandatory checks every week to make sure they were complying," Jack told her. He adjusted the Doctor as the Doctor yawned and tried to crawl up further onto his lap. Jack scooped him up, cuddling him close.

"I still don't understand why the base wasn't closed," Martha stated.

"In normal circumstances they would have been closed. The problem was that when their atrocities were discovered there was a plague sweeping across the planets. It was called the seven-day plague as those who caught it perished within seven days without treatment. Many companies raced to find a cure, but it was the base who made it first and only they had the capability to keep up with the demand. When the public discovered how they were outraged, of course, but many were just thankful that they had found the cure in time. Regardless of what the base did to get the cure there were people that still defended the bases actions as it had saved their families," Jack whispered.

"So you can't do anything?" Martha questioned disappointed that the Doctor couldn't receive justice for what happened to him.

"I didn't say that. I have a full description of the bastard she hit. She also told me that the people on the base work in two shifts that are ten hours. Based on the Doctor's behavior and Sky's information, I am positive the man I want works nights. I just have to stake the place out until I get the opportunity to grab him," Jack replied.

"And how long will that take?" Martha wondered.

"Does it matter?" Jack questioned, his eyes narrowed in confusion.

"It will to him." She nodded towards the Doctor who had his eyes closed as he rested his head against Jack's chest. His legs were dangling off the edge of the chair and his hands were gripping Jack's shirt loosely. Though his breathing was slow and even, Martha couldn't tell if he was actually asleep or if he was listening to them.

"He'll be alright," Jack reassured her.

"He gets frantic if you are gone more than a couple of hours. How do you think he is going to react if you are gone for a few days or even worse a few months? It isn't fair to him to keep his locked in the cell or drugged the entire time," Martha responded on the Doctor's behalf.

"I have to do this Martha." Jack rested his cheek on the Doctor's head as he closed his eyes for a brief moment. Martha was right he couldn't do that to the Doctor. Even if there was no chance to save him he couldn't be selfish and make the Time Lord suffer so that he could have his revenge. His only choice was going at night while the Doctor was in the cells anyways and coming back before he was ready to be released in the morning.

"Hurting or killing this man isn't going to bring the Doctor back," Martha reminded Jack.

"I know," Jack sighed.

"But that isn't going to stop you is it?" Jack shook his head no.

"I just need to get the base codes for my vortex manipulator from the TARDIS. Once I have it I can stake the place out at night until I catch him," Jack decided. He stood up, picking up the Doctor as he did. "Now if you will excuse me, I am going to put him to bed and try to get a few hours sleep so I can be ready to head out tonight." He didn't look at Martha as he carried the Doctor down to their room and laid him on the bed. He laid down with him, holding the Time Lord to his chest.

"My Jack," The Doctor sighed in content as he snuggled closer to Jack. Jack smiled as he closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

-DW-

That night, after Jack put the Doctor into the cells, he headed to the TARDIS to try to unlock his manipulator. Once on board, he was slightly surprised how simple it was to get the codes from the TARDIS. He had expected to try to hack her in order to retrieve them, not that he thought he was going to be able to. The TARDIS was too advanced for any hacking tricks he knew, but that wouldn't stop him from trying. Much to his relief, though, she gave them up willing as she was just as eager to help her thief. Ever since the day she had returned him to the hub he hadn't set foot aboard the TARDIS and blocked all of her attempts to communicate with him. She waited, patiently calling out to him as she knew one day he would be ready to return to him. Jack thanked her, setting the coordinates to the base and heading there soon after.

He landed just outside of the base in the middle of the night. There was no way for him to enter the base without being caught, so instead he positioned himself just out of sight from the door. He would watch and wait for Charles as he knew he just had to be patient and he would get his chance at the man.

As Jack staked out the place, the Doctor stormed the cells as usual. Come morning, he looked expectantly for Jack to take him to bed so that he could sleep. When Jack failed to show, he lay on the mattress in the cell curling into himself as tears filled his eyes. Jack had left him again and he wasn't sure why. He sniffled as he forced his eyes to remain open. He had been having strange dreams lately and he didn't want to face them alone. His body was worn out from moving all night and sooner than he would have liked he found himself slipping slowly off to sleep.

In his dream, he was running through red grass with a burnt orange sky above him. In the distance, trees with silver leaves swayed gently in the breeze. He was chasing a man whose face looked familiar, but it changed every time he tried to get a closer look. He wasn't sure why they were running, but as they continued to run smoke filled the air. In the distance, he could see three little boys playing. Concerned, ran towards them as the trees there were playing under caught fire. The sky blazed and he looked frantically for a way to save the children.

"Papa. Save me," the middle of the three boy's cried out as he got closer. He could no longer see the oldest boy, but the little boy stared at him as two wounds appeared in his chest and blood seeped his clothing. The boy's eyes went wide as he fell to the ground. Golden mist swirled around him. The Doctor reached him as a third wound appeared in the boy's head. He screamed as the mist dissipated and the boy lay still. He reached out for the middle boy, but he backed away. The Doctor went after him, trying desperately to save him. He almost reached him, when the fire reached him.

He cried out, his eyes shooting open as he breathed hard. He looked around for Jack again, but he was still nowhere to be found. He wanted out of the cell, but it was still too early and normally he was in it for at least another half an hour. He wasn't sure how he knew that, but he always seemed to know what time it was. Even with his eyes open, he could see the time ticking away in front of him. He didn't want to be alone that long. He wanted Jack so that he didn't have to think about the strange dreams he was having.

"Jack help," He cried out as he stood closer to the glass. He called out again and again as Jack failed to appear. He was growing frantic as he waited. Grabbing his arm, he scratched his fingernails across his skin.

"Don't do that," Jack cooed as he hurried down the stairs. He had just finished showering after his night on the base and looked at the cameras to see that the Doctor was awake and upset. He opened the door and the Doctor flung himself into his arms.

"Mean Jack," The Doctor informed him as he hit Jack. Hoping he wasn't going to have to put him right back in the cells. He grabbed the Doctor's wrist.

"Calm down," Jack told him firmly. The Doctor glared at him but didn't try to pull away or slam him into the wall. Taking that as a good sigh, he released his wrist then took ahold of his hand. The Doctor gripped Jack's back tightly, as together they left the cells.


	18. Chapter 18

It was a few days later when things began to change. The routines that he had craved when he first got to the hub now made him itch with anticipation for something else, something new. What he wanted, he didn't know. He just knew that every day was the same. He would wake up alone in the cell until Jack would come to get him. Then there was autopsy room for treatment of the injuries he always seemed to be getting. After he would shower then have breakfast followed by cartoons. Jack would work quietly at his desk until he reminded him it was time for lunch. After lunch, there were puzzles with Martha, followed by more time with Jack. Once Jack finished his work, thewy would have dinner and curl up on the couch together to watch a movie. He never remembered going to bed, but inevitably he would wake up once more in the cell.

That morning, though, it was Martha who first disrupted his routine when she came to get him from the cells. Confused, he still followed her out of the cells as he wondered where Jack was. Jack didn't appear as they went to the autopsy room and he allowed her to examine his arms. He then watched on as she tend to scratches that he didn't remember getting. He was getting worried that Jack still hadn't appeared when once again it was Martha who took him down to the bathroom to shower. He showered slowly, not in a hurry to spend more time with Martha. As the water stopped being warm, he reluctantly turned it off and headed out into the bedroom.

"Jack," He cried out happily upon seeing that he had finally replaced Martha. He bounced happily as he threw his arms around Jack hugging him tightly. Jack chuckled as he hugged him back. 

"Miss me?" Jack wondered as his clothes got soaked by the wet, naked Time Lord pressed against them. 

"Yes," He responded as he let got. He took the towel from Jack smiling happily as Jack helped him to finish drying. Jack helped him to dress and then took him to the kitchen. He frowned when he saw that Martha had made oatmeal again. He really didn't like oatmeal, but she wouldn't let him have anything else until he ate it. He was hungry so he picked up the spoon and took a tiny bite. He made a face as he swallowed it. Thinking he was going to eat, she turned her back to prepare her own meal. Taking the opportunity presented to him, he picked up the bowl throwing it on the floor. Martha turned back around as she heard it clatter. 

"You were supposed to eat that," Jack scolded him softly as he reached for a banana. Jack didn't stop him from taking it even as Martha glared at him. He smiled at her holding up the banana to let her know that he liked them before opening it to take a bite. Martha shook her head. 

"You can't just eat bananas," She told him. He nodded at her as he held it closer to himself. 

"It won't hurt him to have a banana for breakfast," Jack responded. Martha sighed knowing she was on the losing end of the discussion. She went back to making her own breakfast as the Doctor happily ate the banana. He finished it then helped himself to a second before it was time to go to Jack's office. He settled down into his chair, turning on his favorite cartoon. He watched it happily as he ignored Jack, but as the morning wore on he became restless. 

It wasn't much later in the morning that he broke his own routine and turned the telly off. Jack glanced at the time but seeing it wasn't time for lunch he continued to work. The Doctor sat watching Jack slowly read through his paperwork. He didn't understand the strange symbols on the papers so instead of continuing to watch him he stood up heading to the door.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked him slightly concerned as the Doctor never left a room alone. He ignored Jack as he opened the door to the hub. For the first time since he arrived at this strange place, he headed out into the main hub alone. He walked timidly down the stairs as he fought himself to keep from turning and running back up them. The only thing that kept him going was that he heard Jack exit the office behind him. Turning his head slightly, he saw Jack watching him from the top of the stairs. Knowing that Jack was there if he need him, he continued on, heading to their room. Once there he wasn't sure what else to do so he sat down on the bed to wait for Jack. He was surprised when Jack didn't enter the room directly after him. He was safe in their room, though, so he sat there alone for awhile just enjoying the quiet. Hearing footsteps, he looked up expectantly. 

"Jack?" He questioned happily. His smile faded, though, as Martha appeared.

"Are you okay?" she asked him softly. He nodded. "Did Jack upset you?"

"No," he replied immediately. She held out her hand and he sighed knowing it was time to go back. He stood up allowing her to take his hand. He followed her as she took him back to Jack's office. He didn't want to be in Jack's office, though. 

"You don't have to sit here if you don't want to," Jack informed him as he didn't sit down but continued to stand by the door. "You can go out into the hub anytime you want to. You just can't leave it without me, understand?" He nodded. He bounced slightly on his heels as he looked to the door then back at Jack. "What's wrong?" Jack asked in concern. 

He wanted to tell Jack about the strange dreams he was having. He also wanted to ask him about the blue box with endless corridors that seemed to sing to him, but his mouth couldn't form the words. So many different words raced through his mind but try as he might he couldn't catch them. Just like when Martha tried to get him to put together the puzzles. He could see the pieces and he knew they were supposed to fit together to form a picture, but the picture hid from him. No matter what he did, he couldn't see the picture clearly so he would grow frustrated from trying to chase it.

"Oh, sweetheart, come here," Jack cooed opening his arms. The Doctor hurried over to him as tears filled his eyes. He crawled up into the comfort of Jack's arms as he began to cry.

-Two weeks Later-

The Doctor was sitting in the autopsy room alone with Martha as Jack worked upstairs. He had a particularly bad night a few days back and had scratched his arm until it was raw as he stormed around the cell. Thankfully, he hadn't needed stitches, but now he seemed to focus on that arm as he hurt himself at night. The skin around the cuts was bright red as it failed to heal properly and was quickly becoming infected. He cried out and tried to pull away from her as she made gentle shushing sounds. He calmed down once she finished and picked up the roll of bandages. He watched her as she wrapped the clean bandages around his arm in a vain attempt to allow the wounds to heal. He sat stil while she went over to the medicine cabinet, but as she turned around with a needle in her hand, he began to whimper in terror.

"Mean Martha," He cried out wishing his mouth could form more words. As she got closer he lashed out at her, forcing her to her to take a step back. 

"I need blood Doctor," Martha explained to him calmly. "You also need an antibiotic injection because of the infection that is setting in." His eyes narrowed as he tried to understand her words. He was too focused on the needle, though, to care. He didn't like needles, needles meant pain and legs that didn't work properly. 

"No," He told her firmly even as he shook in fear. For a moment Martha thought she saw the oncoming storm in his eyes, but it was gone before she could be sure. Still she felt a shudder go through her body at the glare. She took a deep breath before taking another step forward. He swung his leg nearly kicking her and forcing her to step back again. 

"Don't make me call Jack," She sighed.

"Jack help," He called out latching on to her idea. "Mean Martha help Jack." Jack came hurrying quickly into the room worried about the terror in the Doctor's voice as he cried out for him. 

"What is it? What's wrong?" Jack asked him as he hurried over. He wrapped his arms around the trembling Time Lord. 

"Martha mean," The Doctor whimpered against him as he held Jack's shirt tightly. 

"Why is Martha mean?" Jack asked as he chuckled in relief.

"Because I need blood and he needs to receive an antibiotic injection," Martha replied for the Doctor. "Would you please help me and hold his arm?"

"No," The Doctor shook his head frantically. "Jack help."

"Why does he need an injection and blood work?" Jack questioned before agreeing to help her. 

"The scratches on his arm are getting infected because he tends to keep breaking it open at night." Martha nodded towards the Doctor's left. Jack looked down to see the bandages on it before looking back at Martha. "The blood work is to make sure the infection hasn't spread."

"Alright, Doctor. I know you don't want to hear this, but Martha is right," Jack told him softly. "So are you going to sit there and let her take the blood she needs or do I have to hold you down."

"Mean Jack," He mumbled in reply. Jack released the Doctor from the hug, then offered him his hand as he hoped silently the Doctor would cooperate. The Doctor just stared at his hand as he continued to hold on to Jack's shirt. Jack wiggled his fingers in the playful way the Doctor use to making the Doctor huff. He rolled his eyes as he reluctantly let go of Jack's shirt with one hand to take his hand.

"Will you sit still now?" Martha asked. He was trembling still, but he raised his head and nodded. He watched wide-eyed as she approached with the empty needle. She set it down to wrap a tourniquet around his arm, then found a vein. She was quick but gentle as she inserted the needle to draw the blood that she needed. He watched her, but he was fine as Jack spoke to him softly reassuring him he was fine. She removed the needle and placed a plaster over the site. As she filled the needle with the antibiotic, he let go of Jack's hand as he wrapped his arms around his neck. 

"No, no, no," He began to sob inconsolably. "Jack no"

"Shhh, it's alright. It's just medicine. I promise no one is going to hurt you," Jack cooed as he tried in vain to comfort the Time Lord. He wrapped his arms around the Doctor holding him tightly back as he nodded at Martha. Martha could no longer give him the injection in his arm, so she used her thumb to lower his trousers a little. He squirmed and Jack held him tighter.

"Sharp pinch," Martha warned the Doctor as she pushed the needle in. He screamed, clawing at Jack before going suddenly quiet. Martha finished giving him the injection as quickly as she could. She capped the now empty syringe as Jack released him. 

"There you go, see it's alright," Jack whispered to him softly. 

"Doctor?" Martha wondered as he continued not to react. Jack leaned back so that he could look into the Doctor's eyes. The Doctor was staring straight ahead, but it was obvious that he wasn't seeing anything. 

"He's having a flashback," Jack informed her as he waved his hand in front of the Doctor's eyes and he continued not to react. He felt the Doctor's hand move down to take down and grip his hand. Jack held it back hoping it was a sign that the Doctor was coming back. The Doctor's grip, though, continued to tighten until he was cutting off the circulation in Jack's hand. Suddenly, he slammed Jack's arm down on the side of the table as hard as he could. Jack gasped as pain ripped through his arm and tried to wrench his arm away from the Doctor but he continued to hold it tightly.

"Doctor, you're hurting me," Jack told him. The Doctor didn't respond, but his head turned so that he was looking directly at Jack. "Are you coming back?" Jack asked, but the Doctor stared through him. He tilted his head to the side as tears filled his eyes. He cried out angrily as he let go of Jack's hand. Without any warning, he lifted both his hands, placed them against Jack's chest and pushed him away roughly. Jack stumbled backwards as the Doctor stood up. His eyes were still unseeing as he started to run. Reacting quickly, Jack grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving. Rather than try to pull away, The Doctor surprised them as he fell to his knees sobbing.

"No, no, no, no, no," The Doctor whimpered over and over again. Jack was cautious as he leaned down in front of him.

"You're okay," He told the Doctor softly. He reached out, brushing the Doctor's hair back from his head. "I promise no one is ever going to hurt you again. Just come back to me." The Doctor stopped whimpering as he lifted his head and looked straight into Jack's eyes. Much to Jack's surprise the Doctor leaned forward, placing his hands gently on Jack's cheeks. Jack tensed as he felt the Doctor's lips press innocently against his own in a soft kiss. Not sure what to do, Jack reached up and took the Doctor's hands in his gently lowering them. 

"Hey, don't do that," Jack whispered gently as he pulled back. The Doctor swallowed hard as he frowned in confusion. 

"Jack," He whispered as he reached out and brushed a piece of hair carefully behind Jack's ear. When Jack didn't return the gesture he stood up, running quickly out of the room.


	19. Chapter 19

The Doctor opened his eyes to find himself sitting on the floor on the autopsy room. He looked around slightly confused as he wasn't sure how he got here. One more he had been sitting on the table fighting to keep Martha from giving him a shot and then he was on the floor looking into Jack's eyes. In his mind, he saw Jack kissing him softly on the lips. He felt butterflies in his stomach at the memory. Reaching out, he carefully took Jack's face in his hands. He leaned forward slowly pressing his lips against Jacks. 

"Don't do that," Jack had told him pulling away. He felt confused by Jack's rejection. He was sure that Jack wanted him to kiss him, but Jack had stopped him. There were so many strange thoughts going through his head and he didn't know how to handle them. Slowly, he stood up leaving Jack. He climbed the familiar stairs to the main hub, intent on going to their room. That is when he heard the strange blue box singing to him again. Normally he ignored it as he didn't want to run in the never-ending corridors. Today, though, the song seemed different. It was as if the box was welcoming him back. He didn't understand, but he headed quickly over to the doors and pushed on them. The doors, which had previously been locked, opened at his touch. He looked around the hub trying to see if they were going to stop him from entering the box again. Nobody was paying attention to him so he went inside and closed the doors behind him. He looked around in wonder at the place that felt so familiar but frightened at the same time. He jumped as next to the console a young girl, with short brown hair appeared. 

"I made up the name TARDIS from the initials, Time And Relative Dimension In Space," She stated. He pushed his back against the closed doors as he watched as the girl changed into Martha. For just a moment he thought he was going to get scolded for being in here.

"How does it do that? It's wood. It's like a box with that room just rammed in. It's bigger on the inside," Martha wondered in amazement.

"Is it? I hadn't noticed." He heard himself reply. He didn't seem himself so he looked around for the source of the voice, but he couldn't find it. When he turned back around Martha was gone, leaving him once more alone. Yet, he felt something beckoning him towards the corridors. The corridors scared him but at the same time he felt reassurance that he would be alright. He wanted Jack to come with him, except he didn't know if he was supposed to even be inside the box. If he went to get Jack, he may not ever be allowed back in. Taking a breath, he pushed himself away from the door starting towards the corridors. As he entered them he looked over his shoulder in confusion that they had changed.

Before when he stood in them they had stretched on endlessly in both directions. Only now to the left there was a wall blocking him from going that direction. He had no choice but to head to the right. As he walked, he saw the first door was open a crack. Curious, he opened the door the rest of the way. Fear filled him as he saw the grass from his dreams. The red grass stretched around the room to the silver trees in the back as they swayed in a gentle breeze. Not wanting to see the room catch fire, he closed the door tightly, turning to run out of the box. He heard the strange song again, reassuring him he was safe. He listened to it as he once more continued on his way.

The next door stood wide open revealing a bedroom that felt familiar. Feeling braver he went inside the room looking around as he did. The room had several bookcases, an old wooden desk and a dresser sitting along the walls. There was also a large oak bed covered with deep blue covers that stood against the far wall. Laying on the bottom of the bed was a small pile of clothes. Curious, he crossed the room to examine the pile closer. It was brown pinstriped suit with a light blue shirt and a blue and brown swirled tie. A pair of red shoes with white toes sat on the bed beside the suit. Suits scared him as the man who liked to hurt him had worn one. This one didn't, though. It felt as familiar to him as the room did. He ran his fingers across the suit as he looked down at the jeans and t-shirt he was wearing. Jack had chosen them for him, but he always felt strange in them. Pulling off his shirt he decided to put the new clothes on. 

It was difficult, but he managed to get the undershirt on and the trousers up. He put his socks on then slid his feet into the shoes. Buttons alluded him so the overshirt as well as jacket stayed open. He left the tie laying on the bed. He was going to need Jack's help to finish dressing, except he wasn't done exploring the room yet. He smiled to himself as he headed over to the desk and saw it was filled with papers that had circles drawn on them. He picked one of them up staring at it for a second before placing it back. He knew these symbols. He had seen them in his dreams and drew them in his morning oatmeal. He didn't know how he knew, but he was positive they were words only he couldn't grasp their meaning. He turned to the bookshelf, happy to see that it was filled with books with the same writing. Picking one at random, he hurried off the blue box to find Jack.

"There you are," Jack sounded relieved as he entered the hub to see Jack standing by the computer. Jack came over to him as he closed the door behind him. Feeling guilty he looked down not wanting to meet Jack's eyes. "Hey, look at me. You don't have to feel bad about going inside the TARDIS. You are allowed in there whenever you want. It is your home after all."

"Look at you," Martha exclaimed as she came into the room to tell Jack she couldn't find him in the cells only to find that he was in the room. "Where did you find your suit?" He pointed at the blue box. Martha looked him up and down before she smiled. Jack helped him to button his shirt and jacket while Martha dropped down in front of him to tie his shoes.

"There that is much better isn't it," Jack told him as he looked over the Doctor. The Doctor nodded as he held out the book to him and pointed at the cover.

"I'm sorry sweethearts. I don't know what it says." He offered the book to Martha and Martha shook her head.

"I don't know either," She told him. he held the book close to him as he walked over to the couch and sat down. Slowly he traced the circles on the front, as he listened to the TARDIS singing to him. He closed his eyes and tried to remember.

-DW-

Over the next two weeks, the Tardis became his playground. The once frightening long corridors led to new discoveries and there was no one there to judge or correct him as he sat in the seat by the controls trying to make his mouth move with the words he wanted so badly to say. Well, almost no one to judge him. As he sat there, thick-tongued trying to pronounce words that came so easily to others, sometimes an image would appear and correct him. Some of the faces he knew from his dreams, but he couldn't put a name to. 

Also, over those two weeks a new room was set up in the TARDIS by Martha. She no longer took him down to the autopsy room to learn, but instead to the large school room on the TARDIS. There were bookshelves in the room lined with the circular books as well as books in the language Jack read. Between the bookshelves, there were two chairs that he would sit in with Martha as she read to him or he just looked at the books. In the center of the room was a desk that was covered with puzzle pieces. A few of the pieces were bent though he was making progress at assembling them. A chalkboard that was split in half with a line stood against the back of the room. On one side of it was Martha's writing and on the other his own attempts to copy her letters. Overall he was making progress, but his mind was still that of a child's and Martha was beginning to think that was the best they would be able to achieve. The Time Lord had proved her wrong in the past, though, and she just hoped that he would be able to do it again.


	20. Chapter 20

Over the month as the Doctor slowly got better, Jack spent the nights staking out the military base that the Doctor had been kept at. It took that entire month before the man was finally in his reach. He had seen him several times, entering and exiting the compound and had learned his schedule well, but he never was able to get close enough to the man to capture him. Jack had staked out the place for several days before he found out that the compound had separate living quarters for the scientist who worked there. It made getting ahold of the man harder, but Jack could wait for eternity if he had to. So he watched on as the man never made a move to leave the safety of the base while Jack tried to figure out a way to enter the base without drawing attention to himself. That was until one day, much to his surprise, he saw the man wave goodbye to another soldier as he headed towards the gates.

"Heading out today, Charles?" The soldier at the gate questioned him as he checked his ID.

"Yeah, I got a friend meeting me at the bar just down the road." Charles replied.

"Not going to drive or call for a ride?" 

"It's a beautiful morning. Besides gotta keep in shape." Charles responded as he patted his stomach. The man laughed as he handed Charles back his ID. Jack felt his heart speeding up in anticipation as he watched Charles take off jogging down the road. Jack crept quickly through the trees keeping tabs on the man. As Charles rounded the bend, Jack came out of the trees behind him.

"Hello, Bastard," he hissed with a smile on his face. Charles stopped running as he heard Jack speak. He hadn't realized that someone had followed him. He turned around to see who was talking, but never got the chance as Jack punched him square in the jaw, knocking him out cold. Charles crumpled to the ground, hitting his head against the pavement as he landed. Celebrating, Jack set the coordinates on his vortex manipulator to the visitor's entrance of the hub. He kicked Charles for good measure before bending down and placing Charles hand on the manipulator. He held his arm tightly as he hit the button to send them both back. He landed in the early morning light of Cardiff and Ianto came into the room quickly.

"You finally caught him?" Ianto asked as he looked the man over. Jack nodded happily at him. 

"I am going to make sure it is clear and then I need you to help me take him down to the cells," Jack informed Ianto. Ianto stood watch over the man while Jack went through the door into the hub. He was thankful that he had decided to check as Martha was coming out of the cells with the Doctor.

"Jack," The Doctor exclaimed upon seeing him. He released Martha's hand as he eagerly started to head towards him. He stopped tilting his head in confusion as Jack lifted his hand up motioning for him to stay where he was.

"Martha, I have a prisoner I need to take care of. Can you please take the Doctor to our room." He asked her. Martha didn't question why as she stepped forward taking the Doctor's hand in hers. The Doctor wasn't as easily convinced and he whimpered softly as he stared expectantly at Jack. Even though he was doing better overall, in the mornings he just wanted to be with Jack until he woke up fully. "Doctor, I promise that I will be down in just a few minutes. Go with Martha and by the time you are finished showering I will be there. Okay?"

The Doctor still looked confused but allowed Martha to lead him to the room. As soon as they were out of sight he hurried back to Ianto. Charles was beginning to come around and Jack needed to make sure he was safely locked away in the cells before that happened. Reaching down, he roughly grabbed one arm and Ianto took the other hauling Charles to his feet. Supporting him between them, they drug him down to the cells. Jack opened the one furthest from the Doctor's cell and pushed Charles in. Charles fell to the ground, hitting his head again with a sickening thud. Jack felt no sympathy for the man as his body twitched for a moment before going limp.

"bring Sky over here," Jack instructed as he closed the door behind Charles. Ianto hurried to the cell that Sky was kept in at night. During the day, she was allowed out occasionally for meals or to go for walks with Ianto, but each night he made sure she was locked back up in the cells so she had to listen to the pain her company had caused the Doctor. She was sleeping when Ianto opened the cell. He knew Jack couldn't wait to check the man's identity later, so he leaned down tenderly waking her up as Jack watched on. Jack worried about how close Ianto was getting to Sky but rather than comment on it, he decided to keep an eye on them. He waited impatiently until Ianto came back a few minutes later with Sky.

"Is this him?" Jack asked her as soon as they were close. 

"Yes," she replied her voice barely above a whisper. Jack turned to look at her and saw the fear in her eyes as she looked at the man. While he really wasn't concerned by her fear, Ianto gently took her chin in his hand turning her head towards him. 

"Hey, none of that. Jack is going to make sure he never hurts anyone again, okay? She nodded leaning towards Ianto and he hugged her briefly before Jack cleared his throat. Ianto looked at him. He could clearly see that Jack was unhappy with him as well, but he wasn't sure why. 

"Sky go and wait in your cell. Ianto will take you upstairs for breakfast in just a moment," Jack instructed. He watched her go back into her cell before turning his attention back to Ianto. "Ianto, I need you to get me the restraints from the autopsy room as well as find me four chains. Let's treat Charles here with all the hospitality that the place treated the Doctor with." Taking a knife out of his pocket, he cut Charles clothes off while Ianto retrieved the requested items. While he made sure not to cut Charles deeply, he had no problem nicking his skin often and drawing blood. Ianto hooked the restraints to the chains and then attached them to the wall. Together they shackled Charles making sure that he couldn't go anywhere. Still, as they left the cell Jack made sure the door was tightly locked. He didn't want to take any chances with the monster getting loose in his hub.

"How long are we going to leave him?" Ianto asked curiously as he retrieved Sky once more from her cell. Together they headed up the stairs to eat.

"I haven't decided yes. It will be at least for a few days. Then he and I are going to have a nice long painful chat," Jack replied making Sky shudder. He stopped at the top of the stairs as Ianto and Sky continued towards the kitchen. "I will join you two in a moment. I first I need to check on the Doctor."

"Do you want me to get his breakfast ready?" Ianto wondered. 

"Please. Just make sure it is anything but oatmeal," Jack advised him as he headed to his room. He got there just as the door to the bathroom was opening and the Doctor never knew how close he was to being late. He would just make Charles suffer for him almost breaking his promise later.


	21. Chapter 21

He awoke from a dream where he was running. In his dreams, it seemed as if he was always running. He ran across red grass that blazed with fire or through dark streets. He ran from danger or just for the pure exhilaration that running gave him. Regardless of how much he ran when dreaming this dream seemed different than normal. He was running trying to catch a blonde haired girl, who every time he caught her hand she slipped away from him. He kept trying because somehow he knew if he could just catch her, she would make things alright.

"Doctor, it's time to wake up." He heard Martha cooed softly. He grumbled unhappily at her as he curled into a tighter ball, putting his arm over his head to try to block her out. It was at times like this that he wished he had a pillow or a blanket in the room, but he only got one when he slept on Jack's bed. Still, he couldn't see her so he could pretend she wasn't there for a little while longer. "I know you're awake. Come on rise and shine sleepy head," Martha chuckled.

He groaned as he felt her hand on his arm pulling it away from his face. He scrunched his face up to show his unhappiness as he pulled his arm away from her. Rolling off of his side, he stretched out on his back as he smacked his lips. His arm now free, he placed it back over his eyes. As he tried to go back to sleep. He wasn't as comfortable on his back, though, and was considering moving onto his side again when Martha moved his arm again.

"I know you want to sleep, but you need to get up now," she insisted. Normally he would already be up and she wouldn't have to argue him. Since he decided to sleep in today, she had to play the bad guy and wake him so that he could have his wounds cleaned and eat. She had no problem letting him take a nap later if he wanted to, but right now she had to worry about his health.

"Mean Martha," He proclaimed letting her know exactly what he felt about her wake up call. He unhappily sat up, yawning as the dream faded. She offered him a hand up, but he ignored it as he stood and followed her out of the cells then up the stairs. As they reached the main hub, he was excited to see that Jack was coming in.

"Jack," He exclaimed happily as he started towards him.

"Martha, I have a prisoner I need to take care of. Can you please take the Doctor to our room?" Jack asked her. He felt Martha take his hand as he looked at Jack confused. He didn't want to go with Martha, he wanted to be with Jack. "Doctor, I promise that I will be down in just a few minutes. Go with Martha and by the time you are finished showering I will be there. Okay?" The Doctor allowed Martha to lead him out of the room as he wondered who was with Jack that he wasn't allowed to see. He wondered if it was the girl, but he saw her almost every day since she had sat in the office with him and Martha. He didn't think Jack would keep her again from him even if she really wasn't allowed to talk to him anymore. If it wasn't her, it had to be someone else that Jack didn't want him to see and that made him curious.

"Who?" He asked Martha as they reached his room.

"I don't know," She responded softly as she tended his wounds. He had been easy on his arms that night so it didn't take that long before she sent him to the shower. In the shower, he stood under the warm water letting it flow down his head. Jack had taught him how to use the shampoo and soap to wash but when Jack wasn't keeping an eye on him he just used the shampoo. He rubbed it all over his body with his bare hand, ignoring the cloth Martha laid out for him. Rinsing off, he hurried out of the shower eager to see Jack again. Much to his delight Jack was waiting for him. Jack was holding up his towel and he hugged Jack tightly as Jack wrapped it around him. He giggled as Jack helped him dry off and then he dressed in his brown suit. He was able to help Jack with a few of the buttons and smiled as Jack praised him for getting them through the small holes. He didn't like the buttons, but Jack explained that if he wanted to wear the suit he had to learn so he made an effort so he could keep wearing it.

On he was fully dressed, Jack took him up to the kitchen for breakfast. As they entered the room, Jack paused in the doorway. Though the smell of breakfast cooking filled the air, the people who were supposed to be doing the cooking were locked in a passionate kiss. Jack cleared his throat and they broke away quickly their cheeks bright red. Ianto mumbled the word sorry as he presented Jack with a coffee and finished spreading marmalade on toast for the Doctor. The Doctor happily licked all the sticky marmalade off of the bread then picked at the toast itself as Jack drank his coffee. He was still curious about who was in the cells, but Jack and Martha said no more about the prisoner.

After breakfast, he followed Jack to his office and sat there with him watching his morning cartoons. Even though he normally enjoyed them, today he barely noticed what was happening as his mind was on the cells. Turning off the telly, he slowly stood up and headed out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked him curiously.

"Loo," he lied, knowing Jack would stop him if he said the cells. He left the office heading into the hub. He looked around to see who was there and noticed that Ianto was watching him from in front of the computer that monitored the rift. Keeping one eye on Ianto, he started to head towards their room. He was almost to the stairs when Ianto finally turned away from him. A quietly as he could he took off running across the hub and down the stairs to the cells. He passed the first cell which held his mattress, he kept walking as he came to the last cell. Looking into it he saw a man hanging naked in the center of the room. Even without his suit the Doctor recognized him instantly. He froze as terror filled him and everything went black.

-DW-

The Doctor had made vast improvements over the last month. He still need a lot of help in order to function from day to day as he couldn't take care of himself. Every day he was learning, though, and Jack still had hope that one day the Time Lord that he loved would come back to him. He couldn't believe how much he missed having the Doctor babble to him about something he was excited about. Unfortunately at the moment, the Doctor still didn't speak much or more than a few basic words at a time even if it was obvious he was understanding more. He had even shown more independence as he taken to leaving Jack's sight to wander the hub or go to their room to be alone. So it was nothing unusual that morning when the Doctor stood and started to head out of the office.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked him curious about why he had turned his cartoons off.

"Loo," the Doctor replied, sounding more distracted than normal. Jack watched him go before returning to his paperwork. It wasn't even a few minutes later he heard Ianto call for him.

"Jack you better get in here quickly," Ianto yelled. Jack swore under his breath as he jumped to his feet. He really hoped that he didn't find the Doctor having a panic attack as he didn't want to put him into his cell. He actually breathed a sigh of relief as he headed quickly into the main hub and didn't see the Doctor attacking Ianto or hurting himself. Wondering why Ianto had called him, he headed quickly to him.

"What is it?" Jack questioned as he approached. Ianto gestured to the CCTV screen and Jack went pale as he looked at it. "You were supposed to be keeping an eye on him. So, how in the hell, did he get down into the cells?" Jack asked now furious. On the CCTV, it was clear to see that the Doctor was fighting furiously to get into the cell Charles was in. Charles wasn't helping matters at all by making kissing faces at the Doctor.

"He was heading towards your room. I turned my back for one second," Ianto started to defend himself. Jack didn't listen to anymore as he rushed out of the room and down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, he stopped, as he didn't want to alarm the Doctor and have his anger turned on him instead. He slowly started to walk towards them as he studied the fighting Time Lord. What confused Jack the most was that although the Doctor was obviously in full hysterics, he wasn't making a sound as he clawed at the cell door.

"I could let him in you know," Jack informed Charles, as he came up slowly behind the Doctor. He made sure to keep his voice as calm as possible so as not to startle him. The Doctor looked at him for a brief moment. His eyes were full of a hatred Jack had never seen before but wasn't unlike that of the Oncoming storm. He studied Jack but not seeing a threat he turned his attention back to trying to knock the door down. "The only reason I am not going to is because he will kill you and I can't let that happen."

"Thank you for having a little decency," Charles responded sarcastically. Jack watched with interest as the Doctor stopped fighting the cell. Instead, he moved back to crouch against the wall, like a predator ready to strike. His eyes flitted back and forth as he watched the two of them talk.

"Oh, I wouldn't thank me just yet. After all, it's not for you," Jack hissed. "Mainly it is for him, but it is also for me too. If I let him kill you, then I won't get the answers that I need from you."

"It's a pity. Even now he won't scream for me. All those times I bent him over the desk, all he did was cry," Charles taunted him with a grin. "I bet he would scream for you."

Jack didn't even think about it as he pulled out his keys and opened the cell door.


	22. Chapter 22

"Jack, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Martha called out as she came quickly down the stairs. Ianto had alerted to her that the Doctor was having a panic attack down in the cells. He had been worried that the Doctor was going to hurt his fingers with the way he was clawing at the cell. 

"Just walk away, Martha," Jack told her calmly as the Doctor crept catlike towards the cell door. He had one eye on Jack as he moved slowly forward.

"Doctor. Stop right where you are," Martha snapped firmly. The Doctor hesitated just long enough for her to realize that he was becoming in control of his actions once more. He glanced at her with terror in his eyes before turning back to Charles. As much as Charles deserved it she couldn't let the Doctor be the one to punish him. It would destroy whatever was left of the Doctor if he ended up killing the man and she couldn't let that happen.

"Stay out of this, Martha. This is between this Bastard and the Doctor," Jack hissed at her. Martha narrowed her eyes at him. 

"I will do no such thing. I am not going to just stand by and let this happen," Martha informed Jack as she continued to watch the Doctor. Once more he was slinking towards the cell. I said sit down," Martha scolded him as he continued to move forward. This time, he flat out ignored her continuing forward into the cell. "Get out of that cell and sit down against the wall," She yelled at him angrily. The Doctor didn't look at her as he scurried back out of the cell. He hurried over to the wall sitting on his ankles up against it.

"You didn't hear him," Jack snipped at her. Martha looked towards Jack her eyes narrowing further. 

"I heard every word that he said, he is on purposely trying to rile you up. You are too emotionally attached.to what happened to the Doctor and you can't see that by letting the Doctor into the cell you are playing right into his hands," Martha advised Jack. He didn't close the cell as he stared right back at her considering her words. Martha stared right back at him but out of the corner of her eye she saw the Doctor creeping forward again. "Doctor I swear if you don't sit on your butt against that wall, right this minute, you are going to be in trouble when we get back upstairs." The Doctor stood his ground but as Martha took a step forward he scrambled quickly back to the wall. He slid down it sitting on his bottom and crossed his arms at her.

"Don't you threaten him," Jack yelled at her.

"Trouble in paradise," Charles taunted them finally speaking up.

"Shut up," Martha and Jack called in unison at him. Charles went quiet, smiling at the fact that they were fighting.

"He deserves to confront this man if he wants to. This is the man who hurt him, night after night for who knows how many months," Jack continued.

"That still..." Martha started. 

"He raped him," Jack interrupted her. 

"He begged me for it." Jack stormed into the cell and punched Charles square in the face. There was a sickening crunching noise and blood seeped from Charles's nose. "Is that all you have?" He squeaked as Jack headed out of the cell leaving the door opened behind him.

"I agree he needs to be punished for his actions, but not like this. Jack think about it. This man already destroyed almost everything we know and love about the Doctor, don't you dare destroy him the rest of the way. Especially when he is finally starting to come back to us. How do you think the Doctor will feel when he realizes what he has done and that you helped him? If you let the Doctor kill this man I swear I will quit right now and take the Doctor and Mickey with me. You will never see him again," Martha threatened Jack.

"You can't handle the Doctor if he panics," Jack told her. 

"You're right I can't handle him. He needs you. He relies on you to keep him safe. If I take him away from here he is going to be confused and possibly destroy any progress that we have made with him. That won't stop me, though, as he deserves better than having the man he trusts completely destroy him," Martha agreed. Jack sighed as he pulled the door to the cell closed. 

"I won't let him into the cell or near Charles, but this isn't going to stop me from having a chat with him. And I promise you Martha if he fails to answer me, or lies to me or if I even think he might be about to lie, I will break one of his bones." He looked over at Charles as he continued. "I am going to start with his feet, then his leg and then move to his hands and arms. If he still fails to answer me after that, well let's just say I am quite skilled with a knife."

"You don't have the courage. You're all talk but I bet when it comes down to it, you're a bigger coward than he is." Jack cracked his knuckles as he turned away from Charles to where the Doctor was still sitting against the wall. The Doctor had calmed down from his panic attack, except now he was terrified. He had tucked his legs up to his chest closed his eyes and was covering his ears rocking. Jack knelt down in front of him, gently placing his hand on the Doctor's back. The Doctor cried out as he tucked himself further into a ball trying to make himself as small as possible.

"It's alright. He can't hurt you anymore," Jack cooed soothingly, 

"Oh, but I can," Charles laughed. "I spilled myself into him every night. I own him."

"Just ignore him. He is chained up in the cell where he can no longer get to you. I promise I will keep you safe. You just have to trust me." Jack adjusted his body so that he was directly in front of the Doctor and blocked Charles from his view. Jack stroked his hair softly behind his ear until the Doctor opened his eyes a crack. Upon seeing Jack, he moved quickly into his arms grabbing tightly onto his shirt. Jack scooped the Doctor up in his arms holding him tightly as the Doctor buried his face in Jack's shoulder and whimpered. He was shaking so hard that Jack had to adjust his grip to keep from dropping him as he stood up. For the second time, he carried the Doctor out of the cells. As he did, Charles laughter rang out behind them.


	23. Chapter 23

For the next little while the Doctor cuddled with Jack, sitting practically on his lap as he clung to him. Jack just sat there content to hold him until he felt safe once more. The problem is that once the Doctor was calm again, he quickly became out of control. He climbed out of Jack's office as he couldn't sit still anymore. Jack felt helpless as he watched the Doctor unable to soothe any longer him as he went from cuddling and shaking, into a cold rage. He screamed fighting against Jack as he tried desperately to calm the Doctor back down as he slipped further into his nightmare. Finally, Jack realized the Doctor was too far gone when the Doctor grabbed his arm biting down hard enough to draw blood. Jack pulled back as he cried out in pain. The Doctor released him immediately as he tried to hit Jack. Jack grabbed the Doctor's arm and spun him in a well-practiced move that allowed him to grab his other arm behind his back. As usual the Doctor started frantically kicking and screaming trying to get away from Jack as he was taken to his cell.

Charles had tried to taunt the Doctor as they entered the cells, but thanks to Ianto and tape, he had been quiet ever since. Jack watched sadly through the glass as once the Doctor was in the cell he seemed relieved. Rather than yelling at Jack through the glass, he stormed across it kicking the mattress out of his way. He slammed himself against the wall furthest from Charles, then scratched his arm leaving bright red marks along the skin. He slammed himself against the wall a second time and when he pulled back, Jack saw red dots scattered among the stone. The Doctor fell to his knees, pulling at his hair as he screamed before suddenly going silent. He curled into himself rocking back and forth still gripping his hair tightly as he mumbled under his breath. Just when Jack thought he was starting to calm down he suddenly rocked backward and slammed himself hard to the ground. He jumped to his feet yelling as he paced the cell again. Jack turned sadly away from the Doctor realizing that he wouldn't be leaving the cell that night. 

Going up the stairs, he sent everyone home for the night not wanting them to witness what he had planned. He had Sky locked back in her cell, helping Ianto to make sure that she was secured. 

"Have a good night Ianto," Jack told him as he stood by the Doctor's cell watching him. Ianto stared at him seeing the hopelessness in Jack's eyes. He couldn't leave him like that. He started to head back down towards Jack, but Jack didn't notice him as he turned walking over to Charles's cell. Ianto knew what Jack was planning. Rather than stop him, he went up the stairs to wait for him. 

As Jack approached Charles, the man smiled the best he could with the tape over his mouth. It was the fact that he winked at Jack afterwards that made Jack's decision final. He closed his eyes for a moment as he listened to the Doctor screams echoing through the cells. The Doctor wouldn't approve of his actions, but thanks to the man standing in front of him the Doctor was gone. He opened his eyes as he pulled out the key to unlock Charles's cell.

"There are worse punishments than death," Jack told him calmly as he entered the cell. "I will bring you to the point where you are begging me to kill you and believe me, you will beg." Charles just stared at him as if he was bored with Jack. Jack raised his fist, slamming it once more into Charles's face. Charles cried out through the tape. Jack didn't stop to think about it as he hit him again. 

-DW-

Jack finally grew tired of hitting the man in front of him. He stepped back to look at the bruised bleeding mess in front of him. Charles gasped and choked as he tried to breath through the tape that still covered his mouth, the blood seeping out of his nose didn't help matters, but Jack wasn't about to remove it. 

"You know the Doctor hates violence. He wouldn't approve of me hurting you regardless of how badly you hurt him. It's too bad that thanks to you, the Doctor isn't here." He kicked Charles knee with his booted foot. He heard the muffled screams as Charles's leg bent the wrong direction snapping from the force of the kick. Charles's went limp screaming again as he took his full weight onto his arms. Jack smiled at him. "You could never get him to scream for you, but listen to you. Already screaming for me and I have barely even started." 

With that Jack left the cell, slamming it shut behind him. From where he stood he could see Sky huddled on her bed in the cell. She had her ears covered trying desperately to block out the screaming. Jack didn't say anything to her, nor did he look at the Doctor longer than a quick glance to see that he was still storming the cell. He hurried up the stairs desperate to be out of the cells and back into the main the hub.He was surprised to see that Ianto was still there waiting for him. He had to have been watching the CCTV as he presented Jack with a hot cup of coffee as he entered the room. 

"I sent everyone home hours ago," Jack told him. He took the coffee taking a long drink of it.

"I stayed to watch the rift," Ianto responded. "Would you like me to tend to your hand. It looks as if it is quite sore." Jack looked down seeing that his knuckles were raw and bleeding. 

"It will heal quickly. I just hit something, repeatedly," He responded casually. With one urge satisfied he felt another one, that he had been trying to repress, creeping up again. Jack walked up to Ianto taking his hand. Ianto opened his mouth, but Jack put his finger to his lips as he led him over to the couch. Ianto sat down on it next to Jack as he pushed their lips together. Ianto didn't stop Jack as he reached out, unbuckling his belt pulling his trousers down enough to expose his bottom. Ianto turned on to his hand and knees as Jack moved behind him. Jack's thrust roughly into Ianto's willing body as he took what he needed from him. Still he wasn't a selfish lover and he made sure that Ianto took pleasure from their joining as well. After they both found their release, he helped Ianto to redress, before he rushed out of the room. 

He showered, scrubbing his skin until it felt raw before returning upstairs. Later as he watched the CCTV and Ianto slept on the couch, he felt slightly guilty at how readily Ianto had responded to his unspoken request. Ianto hadn't judged him or questioned him, he had just let Jack take what he needed. Jack loved Ianto, but he didn't know if their relationship would ever be the same. He had the Doctor to look after and Ianto obviously cared for Sky. Still it was nice to know that he could rely on Ianto when he needed him the most. 

-DW-

Around three in the morning, the Doctor broke his normal routine. Jack watched as he stopped pacing. He pushed the mattress up against the wall starting to sit down on it. He paused though before he settled down. Standing back up, he stood there for a moment before pushing the mattress against the opposite wall, as far from Charles's cell as possible. The Doctor laid down on his back staring up at the ceiling. Jack watched for another few minutes to make sure the Doctor was truly calm before standing up and heading down the stairs. By the time he reached the cell, The Doctor had moved. He was sitting against the far wall with his knees drawn up to his chest staring at the door. He didn't move as Jack approached it, except to raise his head as Jack walked up to the glass. He tilted his head as he looked at Jack's hand curiously. Lifting his hand, he pointed at Jack's own hand.

"Him," the Doctor stated and Jack realized it wasn't a question.

"Yes," Jack replied softly. The Doctor looked down at his own arm which was dripping with blood. His forehead wrinkled in confusion. 

"Him?" He asked.

"No, sweetheart. You did that to yourself." Jack explained to him.

"Why?" The Doctor wondered as he looked at the scratches.

"Because you're angry and confused, but you don't know how to handle it," Jack sighed as he knelt down. "Before, when you were better, you didn't like hurting people. You avoided it when ever possible only hurting them if it was necessary. Now you take that anger out on yourself." The Doctor stared at him as he considered this explanation.

"Do you want to come to bed with me to sleep?" Jack asked after a moment of silence. The Doctor nodded pushing himself up from the wall, he hissed slightly in pain he then headed to the door as Jack opened it. 

"Come on. We need to get you cleaned up first," Jack informed him. He took the Doctor's hand taking him up to the autopsy room. As he started to clean the Doctor's arm, but quickly noticed how deep the cuts were. He was going to have to cut the Doctor's fingernails soon or he risked this being a nightly occurrence. He didn't know how the Doctor would react to having his nails cut, though, so he decided to leave it for another time. 

"You did a number on your arm last night. We are going to need Martha," He informed the Doctor as he grabbed a towel. He held it firmly against the Doctor's arm to try to stop the bleeding.

"No mean Martha. Martha ow." The Doctor responded unhappily. Jack frowned at him. He could suture the Doctor's arm himself, but if the Doctor panicked during the procedure he could end up hurting them both. It was safer to call Martha in and have her take care of his arm while he comforted the Doctor, reassuring him it was alright. 

"Martha isn't mean. She cares about you. She is also trying her best to take care of you," Jack informed him as he pulled out his mobile. He had no problem continuing to hold on to the Doctor's arm as he dialed Martha's number. Placing the phone on his shoulder he held it with his head as he visually examined the Doctor's arm. It was still bleeding so he replaced the towel.

"Hello," Martha mumbled as she finally answered on the fifth ring. She sounded tired and Jack felt bad for waking her up.

"Hey, I am sorry that I woke you but I need you at the hub. The Doctor has cut his arm pretty badly and is going to need stitches," Jack told her.

"I'll be there in ten," She yawned.

"Thank you." Jack hung up. Setting the phone aside, he turned his full attention back to the Doctor.

"Why?" The Doctor asked as he watched Jack check his arm again. 

"Because Martha is your doctor," Jack answered him. 

"No. Him why?" He asked looking frustrated that he couldn't get the words out. "Room." He shook his head and tried again. "Loo." This time, he looked angry. He lifted his other arm and pointed in the general direction of the cells.

"Why is he here in the cells?" Jack questioned clearifying that was what the Doctor was asking. The Doctor nodded relieved that Jack understood. " He is here because I needed some place I could hold him in order to keep him from hurting anyone else. I am only going to keep him there until I can question him then he will be moved." Jack didn't mention that it would be to a hole in the ground as the Doctor didn't need to know that he planned on killing the man.

"Him no ow Jack?" The Doctor wondered.

"Is he going to hurt me?" Jack asked.

"No." The Doctor pointed towards himself.

"No, he isn't going to hurt you. I will never let him hurt you again," Jack promised. He leaned forward kissing the Doctor softly on the forehead as Martha entered.

"Good morning. You're up early," She said happily sounding more awake. She had a thermos of coffee in her hand and she took a drink from it as she got closer to them. 

"He had a rough night due to Charles's arrival. He was out of control most of the night and ended up in the cell early than normal. He calmed down, though, about a half hour before I called you," Jack told Martha.

"I saw the other cell, was that him?" She nodded towards the Doctor as she took the Doctor's arm removing the towel to examine the cuts. 

"No," Jack replied.

"You probably should remove the tape if you don't want him to suffocate before you can question him," She mentioned casually. 

"I'll consider it," Jack told her. Martha cleaned up the Doctor's arm using a strong antiseptic before she bandaged it. The Doctor had luckily not needed stitches after all, but his arm was going to be tender for a while until it healed. Once the Doctor was cleaned up, Jack gave Martha the keys to the cells letting her make the decision on whether or not Charles survived the rest of the night. He didn't care either way as the man didn't deserve to live and he had more important things to attend to at the moment. The Doctor was almost asleep as he laid on the autopsy room bed. Picking him up in his arms, he cuddled him close as they headed to bed.


	24. Chapter 24

Jack didn't know how long that he slept for. Normally he didn't need a lot of sleep but the month he spent looking for Charles plus caring for the Doctor was starting to take its toll on his body. When he finally did wake, he considered going straight back to sleep as he was warm and comfortable underneath the blankets, even with the cooler body pressed against him. He rolled onto his side wrapping his arms around the Doctor to hold him as he tried to go back to sleep. It was only then that he realized that the Doctor was whimpering softly. Thinking the Doctor was having a nightmare he made gentle shushing sounds as he opened his eyes. He was ready to wake the Doctor if he had to but upon opening them, he saw the Doctor's eyes were already open. The brown eyes were filled with tears as he stared up at Jack.

"Oh, Sweetheart? What's the matter," Jack asked him softly.

"Ow," the Doctor moaned. 

"What is hurting?" Jack wondered. The Doctor didn't answer him. Jack wondered if it was because he didn't know for sure or if it was just because he didn't have the vocabulary to answer him. Jack wasn't sure either way but he wasn't about to let the Doctor lay there in pain. Jack carefully released him sitting up so that he could look him over properly. He examined the bandages on his arm, happy to see that he had stopped bleeding. He carefully worked his way down the Doctor's body visually examining for anything obvious. Not seeing the cause of the pain, he gently started to help the Doctor take his shirt off to examine him more closely. As he did, the Doctor cried out in pain squirming to try to get away from him.

"Shhhh, you're alright," Jack reassured him softly. He stopped what he was doing to gently slide the Doctor's shirt up so he could see his chest. As he did he saw the reason for the Doctor's distress. Stretching down to almost his nipple line on his right-side was a massive black and purple bruise, from slamming himself into the wall. Jack wondered how they hadn't noticed it last night when they were tending to his right arm. Then again they hadn't looked for any other damage besides the cuts the Doctor had caused himself. 

"I'm going to get Martha. I'll be right back," Jack told him and as a testament to how much pain he was in all the Doctor did was nod. Jack kissed him on the forehead before rushing up the stairs. It didn't take him long to Find Martha and together the two of them hurried back to the Doctor. He hadn't moved from where Jack left him and Jack climbed up onto the bed next to him to hold his hand as Martha examined his arm carefully.

"His shoulder doesn't appear to be broken. He's lucky on the fact he doesn't break as easily as a human with how much he slams himself into the wall. On the other hand, I still think it is more than just bruised. I am pretty sure that he has sprained it, but we will need to x-ray his arm in order to know for sure," She informed Jack. Jack nodded his agreement and together they got the Doctor up to the autopsy room. Despite his pain, he wasn't cooperating with them so Jack had to pick him up to get him up on the exam table. The Doctor held on to Jack tightly, not wanting to be alone in the autopsy room. Jack tried to get the Doctor to release him, but he refused as he whimpered and squirmed on the table. In order to x-ray his arm, Martha needed him to lay still so in the end Jack had no choice but to stay in order to keep him calm while Martha X-rayed the Doctor's arm so she didn't have to sedate him. 

"So it is official, he has badly sprained his shoulder," Martha announced as she came back into the room. The Doctor looked up at her from where he was laying with Jack on the table. Jack was using his body to almost pin the Doctor down, but the Doctor looked quite content with the situation despite being in pain. With Martha's return, though, Jack sat up, making sure to avoid hitting the Doctor's shoulder. The Doctor made a face at the loss of warmth as they both looked to Martha. 

"He is going to have to wear a sling and I don't want him using that arm until it is better," Martha informed them as she got the sling out. "In a perfect world he would leave the sling on but knowing him, I expect the sling to be missing by tonight. So we are going to have to watch him closely."

"Give him some credit," Jack chuckled. "I expect that the sling will be gone in a half hour, maybe an hour tops." Martha sighed knowing that Jack was right. The Doctor didn't fight them as they put his arm into the sling, but it was obvious he didn't like it. As soon as they let his arm go, he immediately tried to pull his arm out of it.

"Leave it on," Martha scolded him softly. The Doctor made a rude noise with his mouth at her making Jack laugh. He stopped struggling with the sling as they watched him, but they both knew that as soon as they turned their backs it would be gone. Going to the sink, she filled a glass full of water before getting two pills out of the medicine cabinet. 

"You need to take these. They will help you with the pain," Martha informed him. The Doctor stared at her as he grabbed tightly onto Jack's arm again.

"No," The Doctor replied.

"Would you rather have an injection or the pills?" He glared at Martha as he reluctantly let go of Jack to take the pills from her. The minute he had them, they went flying across the room and his hand returned to Jack's arm. Martha went back to the cabinet pulling out two more pills, as well as a syringe with a vial of medicine. She returned to the Doctor, holding out her hands to him with one option in each of them. "Choose."

He took the pills from her again only this time he placed them in his mouth. He then took the water that was offered, taking a long drink of it. Once he swallowed he handed her back the cup. Martha smiled relieved that he had chosen the easier of the two options. Going back to the cupboard sh put the syringe away. As soon as the cupboard closed the Doctor spit the pills into his hand.

"Yuck," He said making a face. He dropped the pills on the ground in front of him, then proceeded to wipe his hand on Jack's coat.

"Oi." Jack exclaimed unhappily. Martha shook her head as she retrieved the syringe filling it from the vial. The Doctor shook his head frantically as she returned to his side with it in her hand. 

"No," He told her firmly. She ignored him as Jack grabbed his good arm holding him tightly so that he couldn't hit her. Martha rolled up his sleeve giving him the injection as he screamed. Thankfully this time he didn't go into a flash back but instead sat there grumpily as soon as he was released.

"Are you going to take the pills next time?" Martha asked as she cleaned up. The Doctor glared at her as he nodded.


	25. Chapter 25

That afternoon, after Martha had taken the Doctor into the TARDIS to continue working with him, Jack headed back to the cells with a folding chair under his arm. He stopped in front of the Doctor's cell and saw that someone had cleaned up the blood that stained the walls. There was also a new mattress laying against the far wall for the Doctor to use in the morning. He appreciated how his team helped him to look after the Time Lord and he was going to have to thank Ianto for taking care of the Doctor later. Looking away, he hummed happily to himself as he approached the last cell.

He looked in to see that Martha had been in the cell. She had not only removed the tape from Charles's mouth but she had also cleaned up the blood on his face as well as tended to some of his wounds to his face that would have restricted his breathing. Jack wasn't surprised as Martha was always first and foremost doctor. It wasn't in her nature to leave a wounded person untreated. Even if that person was a vile piece of shit. Jack was just happy to see that she had left the rest of his wounds untreated and his leg still stuck out at an odd angle. Jack opened Charles's cell and sat the chair down. He didn't bother to close the cell door as he sat down on it staring at the man.

"Come to question me?" Charles tried to ask him cheerfully, though he sounded as if he were in pain. "I will have you know that I have been trained not to talk. You might as well leave now as you won't be getting any answers from me."

"Yet you continue to run your mouth. See I have been in the military. A few of them actually and one thing I know is that most people who they find important are trained to only give their name, rank and serial number. You on the other hand seem to have been trained on how to get yourself killed. Which leads me to believe that you are not as important as you think you are and don't have the answers I want anyways. Normally I would just hold you in these cells until I was able to transport you to a prison colony. But in your case Charles, I am going to take pleasure in killing you," Jack informed him as he leaned forward. "So, I will make this easy on you. Talk to me then I will kill you slowly and painfully. If you don't talk to me, I will break every bone in your body then I will still kill you slowly and painfully."

"We both know you are to much of a coward to actually kill me so how about I don't talk then you let me go?" Charles replied.

"First question," Jack stated ignoring Charles's question. "Out of every species out there that you could have chosen were you stupid enough to pick the Doctor?" 

"Because I needed someone new to bend over my desk at night," Charles spat. Jack stood up getting close to the scientist. He didn't give him any warning as he swung his fist connecting it firmly with Charles's jaw. 

"Wrong answer," Jack told him calmly. "So, I'll ask you again. Why the Doctor?"

"His cooler body temperature felt good on my..." Jack cut him off with another punch to the mouth. He hit him twice more before reaching into his pocket and pulling his knife out. Opening it he placed the blade just above Charles's groin. 

"Answer me like that again and I swear I am going to cut it off," Jack threatened him. 

"You said you were going to break my limbs first," Charles hissed through gritted teeth before spitting blood and part of a tooth out on to the floor beside them.

"I lied," Jack responded. "Although if it will make you happy." Jack used his full weight to stomp down on Charles ankle on the same side as his broken leg. Charles screamed in pain as the sound of the bones snapping filled the cell. Jack felt no pity for him as he turned and went back to his chair. Putting his knife away he sat down once more. Charles struggled to breath through the pain in his leg. "I hope that is what you wanted but if it wasn't just let me know and I'll be happy to break your other leg. So how about we skip that and you just answer my question."

"Charles, scientist, 711825," Charles told him finally. Jack rolled his eyes at the answer. He stayed sitting down as he pulled out his gun and cocked it.Taking aim, he pointed it straight at Charles's head.

"You don't have the courage," Charles mocked him. He pointed the gun down and fired it straight into Charles's foot. Charles cried out in pain. As calmly as he could he pointed the gun at Charles's head again. "He landed on the base," Charles finally answered.

"Is that the only reason?" Jack questioned him, releasing the safety on the gun. 

"Yes."

"Next question, he is the last of his kind. What did you hope to accomplish by testing drugs on him that were specific to Time Lords? Besides him, there is no one else who would benefit from the information you received."

"There could be one day as the information could be used for other two hearted species and not just Time Lords," Charles responded as he eyed the gun wearily. 

"Fair enough," Jack told him. He did stand up as he kicked Charles's broken knee.

"I answered you," Charles cried out. 

"I know, that's why I didn't shoot you," Jack told him with a shrug. "Now the one thing I really don't understand is why did you rape the Doctor night after night? What information could you possibly have gotten from that?"

"Pleasure. Also, I didn't rape him, he asked me for it and enjoyed it." The words were barely out of Charles's mouth before he screamed as Jack stood up and his boot met Charles's knee again. Jack then kicked his knee a second time for good measure. Charles screamed as his weight fell to where he was hanging by his wrist. He gasped in pain and barely had stopped screaming when Jack pulled out his knife running it along the skin of Charles groin. A thin line of blood seeped down his pale skin as he screamed louder. He stopped before he actually did any serious damage as he still needed to question him and didn't want him bleeding out. Throwing his knife aside, he grabbed Charles hair, forcing his head down to look him in the eyes.

"Did you enjoy that?" Jack hissed at him.

"Yes," Charles answered. He slugged Charles in the jaw and watched as Charles spit out more blood. He decided he was done questioning him for now as he hit him again.

-DW-

When he finally left the cell, he practically ran as he headed straight to his room. Stripping off his clothes, he threw them in the trash bin before he climbed into the shower. He turned the water on as hot as he could tolerate, letting it run over his aching body. He closed his eyes as he didn't want to watch as the water in the bottom of the tub turned red before disappearing down the drain. He didn't want to think of the things that man did to the Doctor and that he allowed himself to do to him as repayment. He couldn't help it, though. With his eyes closed he could see the bloody, barely breathing mess that was hanging in the cell. He coughed, falling to his knees as he was sick. The Doctor would be ashamed of him if he ever found out what Jack did to that man. If Jack had his way, though, the Doctor wasn't ever going to know. 

It took a while, but finally he pulled himself out of the shower. He got dressed in clean clothes before heading up into the hub. The Doctor was sitting with Martha waiting for him by the rift computer. He bounded over to Jack happily upon seeing him. Jack wrapped his arms around the Time Lord holding him close and as tightly as he could without hurting his arm. The Doctor didn't mind as he laid his head onto Jack's chest, gripping his shirt with his free arm. 

"Are you alright?" Martha asked in concern as Jack continued to stand in one place. 

"I will be," Jack replied softly he dropped a kiss on the top of the Doctor's head. The Doctor sighed leaning further into him. There was nothing more that Jack wanted to do in that moment than head to bed and cuddle with the Doctor knowing that the Time Lord was safe in his arms. He had other work to do first, though. Releasing the Doctor, he took his hand as he turned to Ianto. 

"Can you please go get Sky from the cells and bring her to my office?" He asked him.

"Right away sir," Ianto responded heading down the stairs. Martha headed down after Ianto and Jack didn't try to stop her. Instead he led the Doctor to his office taking their normal spots by the desk. The Doctor released Jack long enough that he could turn the telly. He curled up in the chair, resting his head on the armrest as he stared up at it. Jack watched the telly for a moment too, even if he wasn't interested in the show that was on while he waited for Sky. He didn't have to wait long as after only a few minutes Sky came in. He turned back to his desk as he gestured at the chair in front of it. She sat down looking up at him nervously.

"I am going to ask you a question and you better not lie to me," Jack told her.

"Okay," She replied, her voice barely audible.

"How did you get here?" Jack asked her. Moving her eyes she looked away from him.

"The Doctor brought me here," She whispered.

"Sky I really don't want to hurt you," Jack informed her calmly. "The Doctor came back to the hub thanks to return protocols that he had set in place. At the time, he didn't have the mental capacity to know how to drop you off then come back to the hub alone. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he still wasn't able to drive the TARDIS, but that is a matter for another time. The point is that you weren't with him so he couldn't have brought you here. So I'll ask you again, how did you get here?"

"They sent me here," Sky told him, her voice shaking. She was starting to cry, but Jack wasn't sure why nor did he care. He had known that from the time she arrived that she had to have been sent and he was just happy that she finally admitted it.

"Why?" Jack wondered. 

"After I helped the Doctor escape I took the box with his items and tried to leave. By then they had found Charles, so I was arrested for my actions. They held me for weeks but then offered to spare my life if I agreed to come here and try to get information on the whereabouts of the Doctor. I didn't expect the Doctor to be here already," Sky responded. Jack nodded. 

"So they know where you are?" He questioned

"Yes." She replied silently.

"What have you told them?" Jack asked staring at her.

"Nothing." She stammered. Jack stood up going around the desk. He knew she was lying to him about that. Mickey had recently intercepted a coded message that had originated from the hub. They didn't have enough information to decode it, though and Jack didn't want Sky to know that they were on to her. He just silently hoped that Ianto wasn't in on it and she had only gotten the message out by taking advantage of Ianto's trust in her. He sat down on the front of the desk as she continued. "Honestly I have told them nothing. I haven't been in contact with them since I arrived as I have been unable to get to the meeting points. By now they probably think I am dead."

"You so far have kept your end of the deal and provided information that led to the capture of Charles. For now I will keep mine and continue to offer you protection. If I find out you lied to me, though, I swear that protection ends. I will make you suffer before I give what's left of your head to them. Is that understood?" Jack threatened her.

"Y-y-y-es," She stuttered.

"Jack," the Doctor exclaimed happily reminding them he was there. Jack looked over at him. The Doctor smiled as he pointed at himself. "Jack, Doctor banana?" Jack smiled back at him. 

"Of course you can have a banana. In fact, I think it is about time we thought about lunch," Jack responded to him. He stood up, heading towards the Doctor. "You can go," Jack told Sky with his back to her. He helped the Doctor up from his chair as he heard the door open as Sky ran from the office.


	26. Chapter 26

Once Sky left, Jack took the Doctor to the kitchen for lunch. He let the Doctor eat a banana while he baked chips and bangers for lunch. The Doctor happily snacked on the chips eating the majority of them and with Jack's urging, he also ate one of the sausages as well. Jack praised him making him a thick banana milkshake as a reward for him eating so well. After, they returned to the office so that Jack could work while the Doctor watched his afternoon shows or napped. 

Almost an hour passed since they returned to the office and Jack gave up on the paperwork as he could no longer concentrate. He pulled out the copy of the coded message that Sky had sent to the base and stared at it. He needed to know what it said while at the same time it didn't matter. Regardless of the message she sent them, He was going to have to send a message of his own to the base. He needed to make it clear that the Doctor was under his protection and he would stop at nothing to make sure he was safe. Hearing the Doctor sigh, Jack turned around to look at him. Rather than watching the telly, the Doctor was staring at him with a curious look on his face. Jack chuckled as he realized the sling was on the ground once again. Leaning over he picked it up. 

"I am going to end up stapling this to your shirt if you don't learn to leave it on," He informed the Doctor with a grin as he carefully helped him place his arm back into the sling.

"Bad Doctor?" The Doctor asked with a frown.

"No. You're not bad for not wanting to wear the sling. If anything I would be more worried if you left the sling in place," Jack teased him. Even though he was smiling and keeping the tone light, the Doctor still looked sad before hanging his head.

"What is it?" Jack asked. He gently put his hand on the Doctor's chin lifting his head so that he could look in his eyes.

"Tired Jack. Doctor bad. No Doctor" the Doctor whimpered. He stared at Jack, his eyes were pleading with Jack to understand. 

"Hey, don't say that." Jack wrapped his arms around the Doctor pulling him close. The Doctor leaned his head against Jack as he gently stroked his hair. "No matter what that place did to you, you are still the Doctor. I don't know how much you remember, but you have done so much for so many people. Countless species are alive today because you stood up when no one else would. If, after everything you have done for this universe, they can't accept you the way you are now, then they didn't deserve you in the first place. Do you understand?" He felt the Doctor nod against him. Letting go he leaned back so he could look him in the eyes again.

"How much do you remember of what you were like before?" Jack asked him seriously. The Doctor looked at him confusedly as he shrugged. "Alright, let's try something simple. I am going to ask you a few questions and you tell me if you remember them or not. Let's start with something simple. Do you remember a girl named Rose?" The Doctor stared blankly up at him. "She was a pretty young female with dyed blond hair and brown eyes?" 

"Rose," He whispered as he nodded happily. He was relieved to finally have a name to the woman that he chased in his dreams. 

"Alright, do you remember traveling with Martha, before you came back here?" Jack wondered. 

"No," The Doctor replied immediately.

"What about with Mickey?" He shook his head no this time looking frustrated as he did. Jack didn't want to push him much further as he realized his questions were only upsetting the Doctor by letting him know how much he couldn't remember. Jack still had to ask him one more question, though. " I promise this is the last question for now. Do you remember traveling with me?" The Doctor shrugged.

"Kiss bad," The Doctor whispered quietly after a moment.

"You remember trying to kiss me?" Jack questioned him softly. He closed his eyes for a moment when the Doctor nodded. He sighed wondering what he was going to tell the Doctor. He didn't want to reject the Time Lord but at the same time there was no way he would even contemplate a relationship with him while he was still so broken. It would be unfair to the both of them especially as he wasn't sure the Doctor was or ever would be able to handle a relationship mentally or emotionally again. He was still too childlike in his actions and needed to be cared for as such. Jack may have done a lot of things that were low and he wasn't proud of, but he would never take advantage of the Doctor's trust in him. Especially not now when the Doctor relied on him just to survive. Opening his eyes, he kissed the Doctor softly on the head before looking him in the eyes once more. 

"I was really hoping you wouldn't remember trying to kiss me. Kisses themselves aren't bad and you can kiss me on the cheek or the head as much as you want. Just no more kisses on the mouth until you're better, understand?" Jack informed him and the Doctor smiled. The Doctor nodded. He leaned up and gave Jack a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"My Jack?" The Doctor wondered. 

"I will always be your Jack, but I need you to understand Doctor that, even though, I do love you nothing can happen between us. I will always be here to take care of you and be there for you when you need me. For however long you need me for. But even if Ianto and I are having problems at the moment I do still love him and want to be with him. So between us, at least for now, a kiss will always just be a kiss." It broke Jack's heart to say it even if the Doctor needed to understand. He saw tears filling the Doctor's eyes and he looked down unable to watch him cry. He didn't try to stop the Doctor as he stood up leaving the room. Jack flopped down in his chair feeling numb. He sat there in silence for awhile before picking up a small white box off of the desk. Taking it with him he headed out of his office. He really wanted to hit something and he could think of no one more deserving then the man hanging in the cells. 

-DW-

When he returned from the cells a little while later, he saw that Martha had joined Ianto at the main computer. He wasn't sure why but Sky was also sitting nearby with Mickey talking to him quietly. Jack looked at Mickey questioningly, but Mickey just shook his head. 

"Where's the Doctor," He asked seeing that he wasn't there.

"Sleeping," Martha responded as she turned around to look at him. "What did you say to him? He was absolutely devastated when he left your office. He doesn't have the vocabulary to tell me, though, so all I could get out of him was mean Jack."

"I promise we will talk about it later," Jack replied not wanting to have the conversation in front of the others. "Can you first go make sure Charles won't bleed to death before I can finish questioning him?" Martha stood heading towards the autopsy room to grab her medical bag. "Do not do anything besides make sure he will live for a few more hours."

"Alright," She agreed as she disappeared into the room.

"What's in the box?" Ianto asked noticing the small white box in his hand.

"Charles's little finger. I need to send a message to the military base and I am sure they will want proof that we actually have Charles. I would have happily sent a larger piece, but I figured a finger would be easier," Jack informed Ianto.

"That's disgusting," Ianto replied as he paled slightly. 

"I want to send a note with it as well. Would you mind writing this down for me?" He waited as a now pale Ianto, pulled out a notepad and a pen. "I am holding the scientist Charles and the secretary Sky as my prisoners, for their crimes against the Time Lord known as the Doctor. Charles has been found guilty of attempted murder and rape. For his crimes, I have sentenced him to death. Sky's actions, while inexcusable do warrant a lesser punishment and she has been sentenced to life in prison. The Doctor is under the protection of Torchwood. Any further attempts to try to recapture the Doctor will be seen as an act of war. The Shadow Proclamation will be informed and if necessary I will single handedly take down the base myself." He paused as he looked towards Ianto. "Clean that up and make it sound, more official for me. I'll be in my office when you are done."

"Yes Sir," Ianto responded turning to his computer. 

"Is Sky your prisoner?" Mickey spoke up.

"Not exactly, but I can't say she is staying under my protection. If I do they may put a bounty on her head for it," Jack informed Mickey as he stared at Sky. She didn't look at him, but Jack knew that she heard his words by the way she paled. He looked away from her as Martha came out of the cells.

"He lost a lot of blood, but he should live through the night," Martha told him. She sounded cold but professional as she regarded Jack. "Is there any reason you felt the need to take his finger?"

"The finger is proof I have him," Jack responded nonchalantly. He started to head towards his office, then changing his mind headed down to his room instead. As he approached his room he could hear the Doctor crying out. He hurried his pace, rushing into the room to find that the Doctor was in the middle of a nightmare. He was thrashing around in his sleep and had tangled himself up in his blankets. Jack didn't even think as he kicked his shoes off then carefully eased down in the bed beside him. He was gentle as he took the Doctor in his arms.

"You're alright. It is just a dream," He whispered as he held him. He rocked the Doctor the best he could making soft shushing noises to calm the Time Lord. As the Doctor relaxed into his arms, he gripped Jack's shirt with his free hand.

"Are you going to tell me what happened earlier today?" Martha asked, making Jack jump.

"I didn't hear you come in," He advised her quietly as she sat down in the chair. "He remembers trying to kiss me. I told him that he could kiss me on the head and cheek as much as he wanted, but he couldn't kiss me on the mouth again. Then I basically told him that I was in a relationship with Ianto and a relationship with him can't ever happen."

"He is getting better Jack. It goes against everything I have ever learned as a doctor, but he is," Martha told Jack slowly. Jack narrowed his eyes at her. 

"He still doesn't remember almost anything. He is also still childlike in a lot of aspects and needs our help just to live. Are you telling me that you think I should try to have a relationship with him?" Jack questioned her. He was ready to drag her to the TARDIS and have her head scanned if she told him yes.

"No. God no. He isn't ready for anything like that and truthfully neither are you. I am just trying to tell you not to say anything you will regret later because he probably will remember it," Martha responded. Jack nodded his understanding as he took a deep breath. He let it out slowly before speaking again.

"He once told me that when Rose took in the heart of the TARDIS she couldn't control it so she brought me back forever. But I don't think that is true. I think in that moment she knew that he was going to need someone who was able to love and protect him in a way that she never could. What if the only reason he only cares about me because I did take care of him when he needed me the most?" Jack wondered. 

"Then you continue to be his friend, just like you always have been." She paused. "Jack when he got here, he was terrified. From what we know now, he had been raped, beaten, drugged, and tortured. By all rights, he should not have trusted anyone for any reason yet he trusted you. Don't lose that trust because you are afraid of what may happen in the future," Martha advised him. She quickly went quiet as the Doctor started to stir. Jack turned his full attention back to the Time Lord, rubbing his back as he quickly soothed him back to a deeper sleep.

"What should I do?" He asked as finally. 

"Just be there for him when he needs you," Martha responded. "That's all we can do at the moment."


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. Also, there are several trigger warnings for this chapter including non-con as well as gun violence. This chapter was written before the events over the weekend and I considered not posting it out of respect for those who lost their lives but it is a changing point in the story and without it the following chapters wouldn't make sense.

It was a few hours later before the Doctor finally decided to groan himself away in Jack's arms. Even if he was still upset with Jack, he clung to his shirt as he wiped his face on chest trying to wake up. Jack didn't mind as he snuggled the Time Lord close to him. The Doctor leaned up kissing him softly on the cheek. Jack smiled kissing him on the head. The rest of the day proceeded as normal for the two of them. After Jack locked the Doctor in the cell, though, he once more sent himself to the base. He knew what happened on the base at night, but now he needed to find out if it would be possible to deliver his letter during the day. He landed first thing in the morning and staked out the base. As the day progressed he quickly realized that he wouldn't be able to get to the base as it became a swarm of activity. All throughout the day trucks came and went from the base delivering supplies as soldiers patrolled the area. Jack left the base heading to the nearest town instead. He wasn't going to be able to send the finger through the mail so he needed to find a courier who could deliver the package. It took a little bit of searching, but he found one that who would take the package to the base with no questions asked for the right amount of money. Jack agreed to the price, letting the courier know that he would be back soon with the package. 

 

Jack made sure that he arrived back to the hub first thing in the morning to get the Doctor out of the cell and ready for his day. He decided that he would take the letter to the courier as soon as the Doctor had gone with Martha for the day. If he was careful with the time on his vortex manipulator, he could be back before the Doctor noticed that he was missing. The morning was busy, though, and right as he was getting ready to leave the rift manipulator went off. He had no choice but to stay behind in order to send Mickey out to collect the item. He then had to monitor his progress as Ianto was finishing paperwork nearby with Sky's help. While Jack didn't approve of Sky helping, they were only filling rift reports and she wouldn't be able to use that information in order to help the base infiltrate Torchwood . He had just finished determining that Mickey wouldn't need backup when the Doctor came out of the TARDIS with Martha. He made his usual beeline straight for Jack. 

 

"I'm going to go deliver my message to the base. Would you mind getting lunch for him while I am gone?" He asked Martha as he gave the Doctor a hug. 

 

"Of course not. Do you think it will work?" Martha asked in concern. 

 

"It has too," He told her. He looked down as the Doctor pulled away from him suddenly. He didn't look happy at the fact that Jack was leaving him, but he didn't cling to Jack to try to get him to stay. Instead, he turned towards the kitchen. 

 

"Banana Martha," The Doctor stated not looking back as he started up the stairs. Jack sighed. He was going to have to make it up to the Doctor later as he knew the Doctor didn't like to be away from him for long. Still, he didn't want to wait for tonight as he had to make sure that the base didn't try to come for the Doctor. 

 

"He'll be alright, he has to get used to you being away eventually. He is safe here with us, even if he doesn't like being away from you," Martha reassured him as she started after the Doctor. Jack watched her go before heading up to his office. He grabbed his long gray coat and the box which now the letter tied to it. Heading back down into the hub, he was confused as Sky came over to give him. a hug. 

 

"Going out." She asked him. He tried to not show that he was his suspicious of her as he gave her a quick hug back.

 

"Just getting some air," He replied. Normally he just took off from the hub, but he didn't want Sky to know how far he was going. So instead, he wandered outside of the hub, moving away from it before he activated the vortex manipulator.

 

-DW-

 

When he got back to the hub, he knew immediately something was wrong. Even if he wasn't gone long it was obvious that something had gone horribly wrong in his absence. Entering the building, he pulled his gun out holding it to his side as he walked slowly inside. The hub was quieter than normal except for the sound of the sewer and Myfawny circling overhead. He continued inside and as he rounded the corner, he saw Ianto tied up on the couch. His eyes were tightly closed and Jack was unable to tell if he was breathing. He walked as quickly as he dared over to him and checked his pulse, relieved when he found it to be steady. He pulled out his knife, cutting the rope before continuing on his search for the others.

 

Turning around he saw the CCTV of the cells. His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach as anger filled him. He let the anger wash over him as he headed down towards the cells. He found Martha about half way to the stairs, laying face down. She had blood on the back of her head and a blunt instrument laid nearby. He knelt down checking her pulse. He ran his hands down her neck checking for any injury before he gently moved her head to give her more room to give her room to breath. He was concerned about her, but he couldn't stop to examine her. He had to get down to the cells. Standing up, he headed quickly down the stairs. As he stepped down off the last step he took aim at Sky standing outside of the last cell. He hesitated for half a second before firing the gun and putting a bullet through her leg, making her drop to the ground as she screamed in pain.

 

"Stay back or I will kill him," He heard Charles's voice echo from the last cell.

 

"If you kill him, I swear I will make you suffer in the worse pain you could ever imagine. As it stands now, I might be willing to just kill you. But only if you let him go," Jack told him as firmly as he could. As he spoke he walked slowly towards the last cell. His heart ached as he heard the Doctor cry out in pain. He continued forward until he was standing outside of the cell. Through the glass, he could see the Doctor in the shackles where Charles had been. The Doctor had been stripped of his clothes and Jack could plainly see the marks on his body where Charles had cut his clothes off. Blood trailed down the Doctor's body from the small cuts marring his pale skin. Jack looked at the floor to see a pair of scissors laying nearby with blood on them. Looking back up he glared at Charles with all the hatred he was feeling. Charles called him a coward yet he was standing behind the Doctor using him as a shield. The Doctor, on the other hand, was staring at Jack with both a mix of terror and hopefulness on his face.

 

"Jack" He whimpered softly. His whimper was cut off into a cry of pain as Charles rammed his elbow into the Doctor's lower back.

 

"I'm not even going to give you a warning or a second chance. You let him go now," Jack hissed. 

 

"You can't do anything to me," Charles responded. Jack reached into his pocket where he normally kept the key surprised to find that it was missing. He frantically searched his other pockets desperate to get into the cell. His search was futile, though as he quickly realized that his key was missing. He tried to think, but his mind was clouded by the anger he felt. He had the key when he gone to the cells to let the Doctor out in the morning. The only explanation was that Sky must have picked it off of him when she gave him the hug. He had given Martha a copy of the key, but Martha was currently passed out and he didn't know where she kept it. He kept one eye on Charles as he looked at her. 

 

"I will shoot you through the head if you move," He threatened causing her to freeze. "What did you do to Ianto?"

 

"I didn't," She started. She cut off abruptly into a scream as he dug his heel into the bullet wound.

 

"Leave her alone," Charles yelled as he made the Doctor cry out again.

 

"I am going to take great pleasure in killing you," Jack informed Charles.

 

"How are you going to shoot me too?" Charles laughed. "This cell is bullet proof and I've got the key." He taunted Jack as he held up a silver key. He smiled at Jack as he threw it off to the side. "You know all those times you claimed I raped him and I told you he enjoyed it, let me just show you how much he did." With that, Charles shoved a finger roughly into the Doctor. The Doctor didn't cry out but bit his lip as tears started to stream down his cheeks.

 

"Jack help." He cried looking at him desperately. 

 

"Don't hurt him anymore, take me instead," Jack pleaded with Charles. 

 

"Why would I want to do that?" Charles questioned as he added a second finger. Jack hated to leave the Doctor but he realized that he had no choice. He had to find the key in order to get into the cell. Hating himself, he turned running from the cells. 

 

"See you're a coward." He heard Charles yell up the stairs. "Nothing but a low life coward." Jack dropped to his knees beside Martha. He roughly shoved her on her back searching her pockets. Jack hit the ground in frustration when he couldn't find the key. Standing up again he ran to the medical bay. He emptied out Martha's medical bag onto the table. Relief filled him as a set of keys fell out. He picked them up making sure that the key he wanted was there before he raced back to the cells.

 

He was too late, though Charles had the Doctor's hands holding them behind his back, as he took the Doctor roughly. The Doctor's eyes had glazed over as tears were falling to the ground in front of him. Jack seethed as he unlocked the cell throwing the door open. Taking aim, he shot Charles straight through the head. Charles fell backward as he crumpled to the ground. Jack rushed to catch the Doctor as he fell to the ground with nothing holding him up. Jack unhooked his feet from the shackles before pulling the Doctor to him. 

 

"I've got you," Jack whispered as he kissed the Doctor's head softly. "I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry." He cried to the unresponsive man.


	28. Chapter 28

Ianto was sitting working on the rift reports with Sky. Over the last month, he had fallen behind on them as he had to help out with other work in the hub. It was simple work that he could have completed by himself, but he enjoyed Sky's company. Even knowing that she worked for the company that had held the Doctor, he still found himself falling for her. She was kind to him actually listening to him as he spoke. He found himself telling her about his relationship with Jack and his fear that the relationship was now over due to the care that the Doctor required. The last time they made love, felt more like he was just an instrument for Jack to use then a person Jack actually cared for. He hadn't given up hope that they would resolve their differences yet, but that hope was dwindling more and more every day. He realized how much he was falling for her when he came to the realization that he was thankful that Mickey was married to Martha and Jack was busy with the Doctor leaving the two of them to spend time together. So that morning he had watched on feeling jealous as Sky hugged Jack goodbye.

"How about a cup of tea?" Sky offered once Jack had left the hub.

"A cup of tea sounds nice," Ianto replied as he stood up to go make it.

"How about I make the tea for a change while you wait for me on the couch?" Sky offered. Ianto started to protest but was quickly quieted as Sky kissed him softly on the cheek. He didn't know if Jack would approve of him letting her wander the hub on her own or him leaving her alone while he made coffee. He didn't stop her, though as he didn't like leaving her locked up in the cell constantly, especially if he was only going to be a minute. He gave her a quick kiss back as he smiled at her. Listening to her instructions, he went and sat on the couch as she disappeared into the kitchen. She wasn't gone that long before coming back into the room with two cups of tea. Handing him one, she sat down on the couch beside him.

"So how did I do?" She asked him as he took a drink.

"It's nice," He responded taking another sip. They sat quietly on the couch together as they drank their beverages. As Ianto drank, he felt his eyelids getting heavier and he yawned despite having slept through the night.

"Sky?" He questioned in confusion as the cup dropped from his hand, shattering on the hub floor.

"I'm sorry Ianto," Sky replied. Realizing that she had drugged him, he tried to stand up to warn the others. His legs gave out under him causing him to drop back to the couch. He whimpered, trying to call for help as his voice failed him. The last thing he would later remember was the feel of her lips against his cheek as his world went black.

-DW-

The Doctor was unhappy as he sat in the kitchen with Martha, eating his meal. She had tried to make it up to him by allowing him bananas with peanut butter for lunch, but she couldn't help but notice how he still kept looking at the door waiting for Jack to return. He perked up for a moment as footsteps approached, but his face quickly turned into a pout again as Sky came into the room. Martha was curious about why Ianto wasn't with her, but the Doctor didn't care. He was used to Sky coming to visit him and just saw her as another member of the hub. Still, he watched as she walked over to the counter pouring two cups of hot water from the kettle as she blocked his view with her body. He frowned tugging on Martha's sleeve as he wanted a cup as well and didn't know if Sky would make it properly.

"Sky isn't making tea for you," Martha chuckled. "If you want tea I can make you a hot cuppa. Do you want a cup?" He nodded. Martha stood heading to the counter to make him a cup as Sky took her two cups and left the room. He watched her go. He turned his attention back to Martha as she started to speak to him.

"What do you want to do while we wait for Jack?" She asked him. He shrugged as he held out his hands for his tea. Shaking her head at his impatience Martha finished making his tea then handed him the cup. He took it he made a face as he took a sip. It tasted strange and he didn't like it. He glared at Martha as he set it down.

"Bad," He informed her.

"I made the tea just how you like it," Martha responded. Picking up the cup, she took a drink of it. "Mmmm," She hummed trying to hand it back to him. He looked at the tea cup confused. He didn't understand how Martha thought that it was tasty. That was no matter, though, as he could easily get rid of the cup. Moving his hand to the edge of the table, he dropped the cup to the floor before Martha was able to stop him. Martha sighed loudly. She went quickly to the counter grabbing a towel off of it to clean up the mess.

"Doctor help me clean this up," Martha told him. When he just stared at her she tried scolding him. " You made the mess, you can help me clean it up." He ignored her as he stood up. He walked to the kitchen door grabbing the door frame as a rush of dizziness washed over him.

"Are you okay?" Martha asked concerned as he swayed.

"Tired." He responded.

"It is getting about the time that you normally take a nap," Martha told him. She put the towel down over the broken cup before going over to him. Even if he was tired he normally didn't sway on his feet. She was concerned something else was wrong with him that was making him feel unwell. She took his arm in hers to help steady him then placed her other hand to his forehead. "You don't feel warm, but come down to the autopsy room so I can examine you better. Hopefully by then Jack will be back so that he can lay with you to sleep." Martha led him down the stairs from the kitchen to the main hub. As they passed through he saw Sky duck out of view as she headed down the stairs to the cells. He turned his head, looking towards the CCTV. He frowned as he saw Ianto passed out on the couch with a broken cup at his feet as well.

"Martha," He said to get her attention. As she looked at him he pointed towards Ianto.

"Ianto?" Martha questioned in concern. She let go of the Doctor heading over to the couch to see if he was alright. Taking Ianto's wrist in her hand, she felt for his pulse. She found it steady, but that didn't explain why he was asleep in the middle of the day. "Ianto it's time to wake up," She cooed. She gently shook him as she received no response. The Doctor walked closer to the CCTV monitor watching it instead of Martha as she dealt with Ianto. On it, he could clearly see that Sky had entered the cell. She had placed a brace on Charles's leg and was unhooking the shackles that held him in place. Fear filled him. He had to get away before Charles found him again. He turned and ran towards the safety of the TARDIS. Something was terribly wrong, though. As he ran, his legs felt strange causing him to trip over his own feet and crash down hard to the floor of the hub, jarring his shoulder. He screamed out in pain as well as terror as he tried to scramble to his feet again.

"Doctor," Martha cried out as she rushed over to him momentarily leaving Ianto asleep on the couch. She was still concerned about the fact that she couldn't figure out why he wasn't waking up but the Doctor had hurt himself when he fell and would continue to hurt himself unless he was stopped. "What happened?" She questioned him. As she bent over to examine his arm he saw Sky coming up behind her. "You're just in time Sky," Martha exclaimed hearing her footsteps. "Can you get me my medical bag from the office?"

"Martha," He tried to warn her as Sky looked at Martha sadly for a moment. She lifted her hand high in the air taking aim. The Doctor watched in horror as she proceeded to hit Martha over the head with a blunt object. Martha's eyes rolled back into her head as she fell to the ground. He could see blood on her head and he knew she was hurt badly. He was frozen to the spot, though, as the man he feared more than anyone else entered the room.

"Hello, Doctor. Did you miss me?" Charles asked him limping closer. The Doctor frantically shook his head no as he backed away from the man. "No matter. I've missed you and I've come to take you back with me."

He shuddered in fear as he tried to stand. Placing both hands on the floor, he tried to push himself to his feet. His shoulder was unable to support his weight, though. He cried out in pain as his arm slipped out from under him causing him to fall forward.

"Jack," He whimpered desperate for help as he felt Charles grab his injured arm. His stomach flipped and he was sick on the floor. He fought with all his strength lashing out at Charles as Sky grabbed his other arm. Charles twisted his arm causing him to cry out in pain and he fought to keep from blacking out. As he regained his senses he looked at Sky, as he continued to struggle against them.

"Why," He asked her desperate to understand.

"They will kill me if I don't help him. I'm sorry Doctor, but I don't have a choice," Sky informed him softly. He fought as hard as he could as she helped Charles drag him down into the cell, but something was inhibiting him. He could feel drugs once more racing through his system making him disorientated.

"No, no, no. Jack help," He cried out as they dragged him into the last cell. He tried to bite Charles as he hooked his injured arm to the wall. Charles's twisted his arm and the pain overwhelmed him causing his world to become dark. As he came back around he could feel cold steel cutting up his leg nicking his skin. He shook his arms, twisting his body as he tried to get away from the pain, but shackles held him firmly in place. He cried out for Jack again as he fought to get free.

"Oh, I do love to hear you cry," Charles told him as he cut through the Doctor's pants and trousers removing them. He then ran his hand across the Doctor's length causing the Doctor to tremble as he tried desperately to get away. "Maybe this time I can get you to scream for me."

"This wasn't the plan. I helped you to capture him, now let's go before Jack returns," Sky called from outside the cell.

"Jack is a bigger coward then he is," Charles responded. "Besides I owe Jack a little payback."

"But all we need is the Doctor," Sky reminded him."Shut up or I will tell them how you made sure I ended up here," Charles taunted her. "Or do you want me to reveal to your precious Ianto how you have been using him to keep in contact with the base the entire time you have been here." He finished cutting off the Doctor's clothes throwing the scissors aside he turned his full attention back to the Doctor. "You still need to scream for me."

He kissed The Doctor on the neck and then ran his hands down his stomach. The Doctor gagged as once more he was sick on the hub floor. Jack had promised that Charles wouldn't hurt him anymore and he had trusted Jack. He whimpered softly as he felt the tears feeling his eyes. He looked towards the ground, but quickly raised it again as the sound of gun fire rang out. He looked up just in time to see Sky drop to the ground in front of them.

"Shit," Charles hissed moving behind him. Once he was out of immediate sight, he called out to Jack. "Stay back or I will kill him."

"If you kill him, I swear I will make you suffer in the worse pain you could ever imagine. As it stands now, I might be willing to just kill you. But only if you let him go," He heard Jack respond much to his relief. His relief didn't last long as Charles dug his fist into his spine causing him to cry out in pain. He heard the foot steps getting louder and then Jack was standing outside of the cell staring in. Seeing the anger in Jack's eyes he silently hoped that it was at Charles and not at him for getting captured again.

"Jack" He whimpered softly, before crying out in pain again as Charles rammed his elbow into his lower back.

"I'm not even going to give you a warning or a second chance. You let him go now," Jack hissed.

"You can't do anything to me," Charles responded. The Doctor watched Jack feel his clothes looking for something. He couldn't understand why Jack wasn't opening the door to save him from Charles.

"I will shoot you through the head if you move." Jack threatened Sky instead of entering the cell. "What did you do to Ianto?"

"I didn't..." She started and then screamed as Jack dug his heel into the bullet wound.

"Leave her alone," Charles yelled. He cried out again as Charles slammed his fist into his bruised shoulder.

"I am going to take great pleasure in killing you," Jack informed Charles turning his full attention back to them.

"How are you going to shoot me too?" Charles laughed. "This cell is bullet proof and I've got the key." The Doctor heard the metal key hit the hub floor. "You know all those times you claimed I raped him and I told you he enjoyed it, let me just show you how much he did." Pain seared through his body as something was forced roughly into his backside. The Doctor didn't cry out but bit his lip as tears started to stream down his cheeks.

*Not again,* He thought. *Please not again.*

"Jack help," He cried looking at him desperately. Jack was digging through his coat and then started to back up.

"Don't hurt him anymore, take me instead," Jack pleaded with Charles.

"Why would I want to do that?" Charles questioned as he removed his finger then forced a second one in beside the first. He watched feeling both his hearts break as Jack turned running from the cells leaving him alone with Charles. He heard a strange noise and realized he was whimpering again. He bit his tongue trying to quiet himself as he gave into the blackness that was threatening to take over his mind. He called it forward, welcoming it.

"See you're a coward." He heard Charles yell up the stairs. "Nothing but a low life coward." The fingers were removed and his hands were unshackled before being pulled roughly behind him. He was forced to bend over pain ripping through him as a larger object was forced into him. Charles leaned forward over him biting him on the back.

"Did you miss me?" He whispered. The Doctor didn't answer him as he let the tears flow from his eyes. Jack had left him. Jack had promised that Charles was never going to hurt him again then he had lied and left him. He felt the tears running down his cheeks, but he didn't try to stop them as he watched them fall to the ground. He couldn't do it anymore. He felt the darkness embrace his mind as he gave up. He heard the cell door open, then the sound of gunfire echoing in the room. Charles released him but with no support he fell to the ground. He barely registered the feeling of Jack catching him. Nor did it matter when his ankles were released as he was pulled into an embrace.

"I've got you," Jack whispered as he kissed the Doctor's head softly. "I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry." The Doctor heard him, but he was unable to answer. Jack had left him and once more he was alone in his nightmare.


	29. Chapter 29

Jack wanted to stay holding the Doctor until he felt safe again, but in order to accomplish that he couldn't stay on the floor of the cell much longer long. Making sure that he fully supported the Doctor, he slowly stood up picking up the limp Time Lord as he did. He carried him bridal style out of the cell cuddling him close to his body. The Doctor stared straight ahead and if he realized Jack was carrying him, he made no attempt to help him. As Jack walked past Sky he ground his foot into the bullet wound again causing her to cry out in pain.

"If you move from these cells you will wish that I had just killed you," Jack hissed at her. She shuddered trying to back away from him. He didn't watch her as he carried the Doctor up to the autopsy room. As gently as he could he laid him on the table. He wanted to start tending to the Doctor but he had two other's who needed his help as well. He needed help and the only other person he could trust was out in the field. He reached into his pocket pulling out his phone. Flipping it open he dialed Mickey's number.

"Boss," Mickey answered on the second ring.

"Where the hell are you at?" Jack asked him angrily.

"I am still on my way back from retrieving the artifact. It is some sort of a knife and it took me a while to find it as it was lodged in a tree," Mickey explained to him but Jack didn't want to hear it.

"Hurry up and get your ass back here," Jack replied coldly before hanging up. Leaving the Doctor alone for a moment, he went around to the storage room pulling out a cot. He set it up next to the Doctor's bed then headed out into the main hub to check on Martha. He felt slightly guilty about how rough he had been with her in his desperate attempt to save the Doctor. Kneeling down next to her he carefully checked her for injury praying that he didn't find one that he made worse by shoving her. Thankfully it was only her head that was injured and that could be treated. As gently as he could, he picked her up carrying her into the room with the Doctor. He laid her down on the cot before finally he went up to Ianto. He adjusted Ianto on the couch so that he was more comfortable but was unable to see any immediate injuries. He tried and failed several times to wake Ianto before seeing the broken tea cup. He picked it up a large chunk of it sniffing the contents. It smelled slightly off from regular tea. He quickly realized that Ianto might have been drugged, but at least he was breathing evenly for the moment. He hurried back to the autopsy room returning to Ianto a moment later with a syringe. He took a vial of blood from Ianto to test in order to find out what drug was used. He then covered Ianto with his coat, tucking it around him. Ianto didn't stir as Jack kissed him on the forehead. Ianto was stable for now so Jack returned to the autopsy room to deal with the others. As he entered Martha groaned showing that she was finally starting to come around.

"Easy," Jack told her as she tried to sit up. "You have received a blow to your head and have been unconscious for about thirty minutes now, that I know of. I've called Mickey back so that he can take you to the hospital to get your head checked." He helped her to finish sitting up helping to steady her as she was dizzy. With her sitting up, it was easier for him to see the back of her head and he took a clean cloth gently to the wound to try to clean it up a bit.

"What happened?" Martha questioned him.

"Sky and Charles were working together," Jack spat.

"The Doctor?" She wondered in concern. Jack hung his head for a moment as he looked away from her.

"They got to him before I could." He looked over at the table where the Doctor was lying, his injuries still untreated. "I couldn't get to him in time and Charles hurt him again. He trusted me to keep him safe Martha, but I let him down. " His voice broke, but he refused to let himself cry. Martha turned easing herself off of the cot. She grabbed Jack to steady herself as she felt light-headed for a moment. They both knew that she should lay back down. The problem was that while she could go to a hospital for treatment the Doctor had no one else to tend to his wounds. Jack hated making the decision to put the Doctor's health over Marthas, but he had no choice. He held her until she felt steady again then assisted her over to the Doctor's bed.

"I am going to need a couple of towels and a small bucket of warm water," She informed Jack as she gently stroked the Doctor's head. Pulling out her penlight she checked the Doctor's pupil response. To her relief, they both reacted normally. While Jack was out of the room, she checked the Doctor the best she could, taking note that the bruise on his shoulder was darker than before. Jack returned quickly with the requested items and set them down close to Martha. Grabbing a towel, he gently helped Martha wipe the blood off the Doctor's body letting her examine the wounds.

"A few of these are going to need stitches," She told Jack.

"I can do suture them closed," Jack replied.

"Can you?" Martha questioned in surprise. She knew that Jack had been a front line medic and was capable of basic care. He just never seemed to want to be the one to tend to the Doctor's wounds. While Martha understood he didn't want the Doctor to see him as a source of pain, she knew that she wasn't steady enough to take care of the Doctor herself at the moment. 

"At the moment, it doesn't matter if I want to. He needs me to take care of him and being that I already failed him today the least I can do is help to clean him up," Jack explained sadly. Keeping a close eye on the Doctor's reaction, he carefully numbed then stitched the two deepest wounds while Martha supervised. Once he was done together they bandaged the rest of the cuts along the Doctor's body. Martha examined his shoulder determining it wasn't any worse. Knowing he wasn't going to leave it in place once he was awake, she put the sling back on to try to support his arm. Jack then carefully rolled the Doctor to his left side holding him as Martha examined his back. His lower back was bruised where Charles had hit him, but the bruising was superficial. It was the blood on the back of the Doctor's thighs that caused her the most worry.

"Oh, sweetheart," She whispered softly as she saw the blood. "Jack did Charles.."

"Yes," Jack interrupted before she could finish.

"And Charles," She trailed off. 

"Dead," He responded just as coldly. Martha carefully wiped the blood off the Doctor as she examined him to see just how badly Charles had hurt him. 

"Hello?" Mickey called out from upstairs as she worked.

"We're in the Autopsy room," Jack yelled back. "Just stay upstairs and Martha will be up there in a minute."

"Is everything asked?" Mickey asked his voice closer.

"No, everything is not bloody well okay," Jack responded angrily. He looked towards Martha as she pulled her gloves off. 

"He is going to be sore, but the tearing is minimal," Martha explained. Jack nodded in relief. He carefully laid the Doctor back down covering him with a thick blanket as Martha set up an IV. With a tenderness Martha didn't know Jack could have, he inserted the needle in the Doctor's lower arm taping the cannula in place.

"Thank you for your help Martha, but I can take care of him from here. You need to go get yourself treated now," Jack told her. He gave Martha a quick hug before helping her up the stairs to where Mickey was waiting for them. He didn't offer any explanation as he returned quickly to the Doctor's side. He sat beside the table quietly for awhile, but as the Doctor continue to show no sign that he was coming around, he grew more agitated. He checked the Doctor's vitals then hurried up the stairs to Ianto. Ianto was still out cold and his vitals hadn't changed. Needing to deal with the people response, Jack went down to the cells. Sky had moved so she was sitting up against the wall away from the last cell. She was sweating profusely as she held her leg. He could see her face was contorted in pain, but he felt no sympathy for her.

"I would question you, about why you helped that bastard hurt the Doctor, but we both know that you would just lie to me again. You've been lying to me since you got here and don't try to deny it as Mickey intercepted your message to the base," Jack commented as he got closer to her. He looked at the blood pooling around her legs before kneeling down in front of her. "I tried to warn you that I didn't want to hurt you. I still don't even if now I am tempted to throw you in there with that piece of shit and let you both rot." He placed his hand on the bullet wound digging his fingers in making her cry out in pain.

"You claimed that you wanted to help the Doctor, but you may have destroyed him. He was finally coming back to me and you helped him to be captured again. After everything, he has been through in his long life, you a worthless bitch, have brought him down," Jack hissed at her.

"I have a son, they have him," Sky screamed as Jack tightened his grip.

"I told you that I don't want to hear it," Jack told her calmly. He held on tightly to her leg as he stood up. She screamed in both pain and terror as he dragged her into the cell with Charles's body still in it. He picked up the extra key off the ground pocketing it so she couldn't escape. Still angry, he turned around heading to the door of the cell. He left her in the cell as he closed the door tightly behind her.

"Please don't leave me in here with him," Sky cried out. "Put me in another cell, but don't leave me in this one." Jack ignored her as headed to the switch on the wall. He didn't think about it as he flicked the lights off in the cells leaving the place pitch dark.

"Pleasant dreams," He told her as he started up the stairs. When he got back to the autopsy room, he was surprised to find the Doctor wasn't there anymore. What didn't surprise him was to see the IV and sling were laying on the floor. Still panicked filled him as he rushed out of the room to find the Doctor. He checked their room first and his office before going to the TARDIS. The door to the TARDIS was slightly ajar and he pushed it the rest of the way open.

"Doctor," he called softly. He listened for a reply, but the Doctor didn't respond to him. Heading further in the first thing he noticed was while the TARDIS looked the same as before, there were now circular words on the console that hadn't been their previously. He ran his hand along one of them not knowing what it said, but recognizing the Doctor's language. He smiled despite the situation. The TARDIS was trying to help her driver get better as well as she was the only other one who would understand Gallifreyan. Not seeing the Doctor in the console room, he headed into the corridors. The door to the first room he came across was open. He looked inside to see a classroom had been set up for the Doctor. It was only then that he realized that he hadn't been into the corridors since the Doctor had first returned to the hub. Wondering what else had changed aboard the TARDIS, he headed down the corridors again. The second door he came to was closed, but he recognized the old door of the Doctor's room. He knocked softly before opening the door slowly. The light was on in the Doctor's room and he could clearly see the Time Lord curled up in the middle of his bed staring wearily at Jack. He had put on a pair of trousers but hadn't bothered with a shirt. Jack winced in sympathy as he could clearly see the black and purple bruises on his shoulder.

"You just couldn't wait to get the sling off could you?" Jack questioned the Doctor softly as he went over to him. The Doctor flinched, whimpering as Jack approached him. Jack couldn't help the sadness that washed over him as he came to the conclusion the Doctor was afraid of him. "Easy, I'm not going to hurt you," Jack tried to reassure him. He realized that he should have brought the Doctor's sling with him, but it was too late now to go get it. He sat down on the edge of the Doctor's bed staring into his eyes. He didn't try to touch the Doctor even if he was desperate to comfort him. 

"Jack mad?" The Doctor whispered finally as he stared at him.

"I'm not mad at you," Jack replied. "You did nothing wrong."

"Him ow Jack. Jack gone," The Doctor whimpered.

"You think I left you there on purpose?" Jack questioned him feeling nauseous. His stomach flipped as the Doctor nodded and he tried not to get sick on the floor of the TARDIS. He took a deep breath to steady himself before continuing. "I'm so sorry you think that sweetheart. I would never let someone hurt you on purpose especially that bastard. I know I ran away, but I had to go find the key to the cells. Somehow Sky took mine and Martha had the other copy."

"Why him ow Jack," The Doctor questioned, still staring him straight in the eyes. Jack, reached out to the Doctor placing a hand gently on his arm as the Doctor struggled to understand what happened to him.

"I don't know. I made a mistake keeping him her but he is dead now and he can never hurt you again. I promise you, though, that I am going to get answers if is the last thing I do." Jack stated firmly. The Doctor nodded. Jack moved so that he was laying down on the bed eye level with the Doctor. Opening his arms, he waited for the Doctor to move into them before wrapping his arms tightly around him, holding him close. The Doctor trembled against him, gripping his shirt tightly as he whimpered with tears streaming down his face. Jack didn't try to wipe them away as his own face was covered in tears as well. They had a long road in front of them to get the Doctor back on track in his recovery, but Jack thanked whatever was out there that at least the Doctor still seemed to trust him. If only he deserved it.


	30. Chapter 30

That night the Doctor was worse than ever as Jack put him into the cells. Due to the events earlier in the day he barely held out until he became overwhelmed with the urge to move. Still, he screamed in terror as he begged Jack not to go when he was finally placed in his cell. Jack hated to see the Doctor beg, but he had no choice as he couldn't control him. He barely made it upstairs to the CCTV when the Doctor's cries of terror turned into ones of pain as he slammed himself so hard against the wall that his shoulder visibly dislocated. 

"Shit," Jack swore as he rushed back down the stairs. He wished Ianto was awake to help him, but Ianto was still sleeping soundly from the drugs that Sky had given him. Jack had moved Ianto to the autopsy room as he tested his blood. The results came back that he had a powerful sedative in his system that had been banned throughout the universe. He had no idea how Sky had gotten a hold of it, but he planned to find out. 

"Sweetheart, you need to calm down," Jack called through the cell door. The Doctor looked over at him stalking closer to the cell door as he continued to scream in pain. His arm was hanging down at a strange angle and he was holding it with his other hand. Even with his shoulder dislocated he couldn't stop. Releasing his arm he ran his fingernails down his arm causing deep red scratches along his skin. He felt like an ass as he reached into his pocket to pull out his cell phone. Martha needed to rest after receiving a concussion, but he needed help if he was going to get the Doctor's shoulder back in place. 

"Jack?" Martha asked sleepily as she answered the phone. 

"I'm sorry to bother you Martha, but the Doctor has dislocated his shoulder and we can't leave it until morning," Jack explained. 

"No, you're right. Mickey and I will be there as soon as possible," Martha responded. "I know it is probably impossible but try to keep him calm." Jack made a scoffing noise at her.

"I'll see you soon," He offered in reply. Hanging up the phone he tried to keep the Doctor at the cell door as he waited for Martha to get to the hub. The Doctor had other ideas as he quickly became bored with Jack. He slammed himself into the wall again crying out in pain. 

"Jack?" Sky spoke up from the last cell. Jack ignored her as he made cooing noises at the Doctor trying to get his attention again. The Doctor didn't care as he moved towards the wall again. Jack opened the cell rushing into grab him before he could hurt himself again. The Doctor screamed at him, scratching and fighting him as Jack picked him up in his arms. Jack barely managed to hold onto him as he rushed him up the stairs. Rather then going to the autopsy room where Ianto was sleeping, he made his way onto the TARDIS hoping that she would be able to help calm the Doctor down. It didn't work as the Doctor tried several different times to bite him as he was taken into the medi-bay. Jack forced him down onto a bed as the drawer next to it opened. Inside the drawer was a pre-filled syringe. Jack didn't even think twice as he grabbed it.

"Sharp prick," he warned the Doctor, though, he doubted the Doctor heard him. The Doctor's screams got louder as Jack pushed the needle into his arm. He didn't know what the TARDIS gave the Doctor, but the Doctor's movements quickly became sluggish allowing Jack to release him. 

"Jack," The Doctor whimpered as he continued to struggle. 

"You're going to be alright. Martha will be here soon and then we can put your shoulder back in place for you," Jack reassured him softly. He put the bars up on the sides of the bed to help keep the Doctor on it as the monitor next to his bed changed. Jack glanced at it, seeing what he already knew displayed on the screen. The Doctor's shoulder was completely out of its socket and needed to be reduced. If they were lucky they would get away with just keeping his arm immobile while it healed. If not they were going to have to perform surgery on the Doctor's arm. Jack looked down as his phone rang. He answered it seeing that Mickey's name was on the screen.

"Jack, where are you?" Martha questioned as she stood in the autopsy room but only saw Ianto sleeping on the bed. 

"In the medi-bay on the TARDIS," Jack responded. The phone disconnected and a moment later Martha came hurrying in with Mickey by her side. She took one look at the scans before she began to make plans on how to reduce his shoulder. The drawer next to the bed opened again, this time containing a muscle relaxant, a painkiller as well as a larger dose of the sedative. Martha took the time to read the TARDIS's recommendations as Mickey held the Doctor so that Jack could give him the injections. Once the Doctor was asleep they began to work on his arm. Martha was thankful when his arm went back into place easily, the problem now was keeping it in place. They wrapped his arm in bandages before placing it in a sling. They then wrapped the bandages around the sling so that the Doctor couldn't just take the sling off once he woke up. With his arm taken care of Jack covered him up, making sure that he was comfortable to sleep off the sedative. 

"Is there anything else we can do to make sure that his arm stays in its socket? I'm worried that he is just going to knock his arm out of place again the next time he goes into the cells," Jack asked Martha. 

"Couldn't we just sedate him every night?" Mickey wondered as Martha thought about the situation. 

"We could," Martha answered slowly. "I just don't think that is the best thing for him."

" Why not?" Mickey questioned. 

"He storms the cell at night as a way of dealing with what happened to him at the base. By sedating him every night we will be taking away his outlet for his pain and that could make him worse during the day," Jack answered and Martha nodded her agreement. 

"We can sedate him, though, for the next few nights to give his arm a chance to start healing. If it becomes to hard on him we will have to find another way to keep him calm enough for his shoulder to heal," Martha responded. She made sure the Doctor was stable before heading to her room aboard the TARDIS to rest. Jack didn't sleep as he stayed next to the Doctor's bed keeping an eye on him. The Doctor slept until the early hours of the morning. It was immediately obvious that sedating him wouldn't be the best choice long term as he woke up confused and weepy. He refused to talk as he clung to Jack crying. Jack tried his best to comfort him, but the Doctor was inconsolable while he woke up. He cried louder when Martha tried to check on him and nothing Jack did changed his mind about letting Martha near him. Finally, she left the medi-bay to get him a hot cup of tea. She set it, down in Jack's reach without questioning the Doctor's reaction before going to check on Ianto. The Doctor refused to drink the tea, knocking it out of Jack's hands. The cup fell to the ground spilling the tea. Jack sighed as he held the Doctor closer to him. A few hours later and a long cuddle with Jack later he was finally coaxed out of bed. He wasn't able to shower due to his shoulder so Jack helped him to wash his hair in the sink while taking a sponge bath. 

While aboard the TARDIS the Doctor just stayed by his side. That changed as the two of them went out into the hub. He held tightly onto Jack's arms not wanting to be away from him for even a moment. Jack took it in stride as he knew it would take the Doctor awhile to feel safe again after he was attacked in the hub yesterday. It was still hard when the Doctor chose to spend the rest of the morning in his chair watching the telly rather than continuing to find his independence. He refused to eat, drink or do anything besides hold onto Jack's arm tightly in his own. As lunchtime rolled around and the Doctor still refused to eat, Jack wanted answers. The one person able to provide them was down in the cells, if she had managed to live through the night. As much as he didn't want to take the Doctor back to see that woman, he had no other choice as the Doctor's fingers bruised his arm. The Doctor whimpered softly but didn't try to stop Jack as together they headed down the stairs.


	31. Chapter 31

The Doctor was fine as they headed to his cell, but as they passed it to go to the last cell he quickly became agitated. He stopped moving with Jack planting his feet firmly on the floor. Jack tried to gently coax him forward as he refused to move anymore. He didn't understand why Jack was taking him to the last cell. Jack had to know that the man who had hurt him was in that cell and he was terrified of the man. The man had hurt him even after Jack had promised it would never happen again. 

"You're alright Doctor. I just need to talk to Sky," Jack tried to inform him as a soft whimper escaped from the Doctor's throat. 

"No Jack," He exclaimed pulling on Jack's hand trying to get him to go out of the cells. Jack could clearly see the terror in the Doctor's eyes as he didn't want to get closer to the cell. Jack couldn't reassure him that Charles was no longer in their either as he had yet to remove his body. 

"I promise you that he is dead and can never hurt you again," Jack reassured the Doctor gently as he wrapped his arm around the trembling Time Lord. The Doctor couldn't hold him back as he was still holding Jack's arm tightly with his other arm pinned to his body. Jack released him to look him in the eyes. "Do you trust me?" The Doctor nodded slowly. "Then trust that I will never let him hurt you again." 

The Doctor took a slow step forward followed by another. Jack followed the Doctor's footsteps not trying to rush him as the Doctor fought with himself not to panic. As they reached the last cell, though, Jack could still see Charles's body laying inside of it. The last thing he needed the Doctor to see was the body of the man who had hurt him. While many would find relief in knowing that the man could never hurt them again, he was positive that the Doctor would go into another full on panic attack before he had time to realize that Charles's was no longer breathing. He led him to the small wall that separated the cells. He had the Doctor sit down with his back to the wall. 

"I need to talk to Sky now. I want you to sit right here against the wall while I do," Jack told the Doctor as he knelt down in front of him. He tried to get the Doctor to release his arm, but the Doctor continued to hold onto him tightly. "I know you don't want to be separated from me so how about you release my arm and take a hold of my leg for a moment instead." The Doctor thought about that before he released Jack's arm quickly grabbing his leg before Jack had a chance to move away from him. Jack kissed him softly on the head before standing again. He had to bend over and adjust the Doctor's grip slightly on his leg so that he could turn to face the cell. 

"So you survived the night," Jack commented as he looked into the cell. Sky was huddled in the back corner of the cell as she had moved as far away from Charles's body as possible. She was pale from blood loss and she was sweating profusely. She was also breathing in short sharp gasp that showed the amount of pain she was in. 

"Please let me out of here," She begged her voice hoarse. She opened her bloodshot eyes a crack to look at Jack. 

"If you answer my questions without lying to me I might consider moving you to another cell. I might even be generous enough to let Martha come down here to check on your leg. Refuse to answer me or continue to lie to me than the only place I will take you to is the morgue. Is that understood?" Jack questioned her. 

"Yes," She responded her voice shaky. 

"Good. Then let's get started and keep in mind you lie to me I will leave you in here," Jack threatened her. She nodded as she waited for him to continue. "First things first I don't think you are really a secretary and do you know what that is?" 

"No," Sky answered him. 

"It is the fact that Charles was supposedly a respected scientist at the base who had to keep secrets about the people he tortured. Yet, he was horrible at keeping his mouth shut when he should have known better. Then there is you. You claim to be a receptionist but you had a cover story," Jack spat. "You were allowed to go to every room night after night and no one questioned you. You claim that you were punished for leaving with the Doctor but you don't look as if you were ever starved or mistreated so I will ask you one more time. Who the hell are you?"

"I've told you who I am," Sky responded her voice no longer sounding confidant. 

"You've told me nothing," Jack argued her. 

"My name is Sky and...." She started.

"Don't give me that shit," Jack interrupted. "You have ten seconds to answer me before I leave you here again." He didn't think about it as he pulled out his gun. "Or better yet, I can shoot off both your knee caps."

"Jack," The Doctor whimpered wearily behind him.

"It's alright Doctor, Sky and I are just talking," Jack told him softly. He looked down at the Doctor who was watching him intently. Jack sighed. He couldn't shoot her with the Doctor watching but she didn't need to know that. He turned his attention back to her as he raised his voice. "Fine let's start with an easier question since you don't want to talk about yourself. Who was Charles?"

"A scientist," Sky replied automatically. Jack cocked the gun raising it slightly. "I'm not lying to you. He was a scientist. He collected data on the amount of pain that the volunteer could take."

"He didn't volunteer," Jack spat as he slammed his fist against the glass causing her to jump. 

"I know that now," She responded. 

"Actually, I think you knew that from the start. From the time that you arrived here, there has been one thing that has always bugged me about you claiming just to be a secretary and that is the fact that you had access to the Doctor. You claimed from the start that you knew who he was and that he is the last of his kind. I don't think the base would be stupid enough to send a mere secretary into try to collect the information that they wanted from him. So I will ask you one more time, who are you?" Jack hissed at her.

"I swear to you I am no one important," Sky replied. 

"I could kill you, right now," Jack threatened her. 

"You wouldn't dare," She told him as she smiled smugly at him. "Because if you kill me, you'll never know I am."

"So you finally admit that you are not just a secretary," Jack antagonized her. Her smile faded as she realized her mistake. 

"I am. They took my son from me and threatened to kill him unless I got the answers they wanted from the Time Lord," Sky informed him. 

"I warned you that if you didn't stop lying to me, I was going to leave you here. Yet, you continue to do it. I am going to give you a few hours to change your mind and start telling me the truth. I suggest you seriously consider what you plan on telling me when I return if you ever want to be let out of this cell. That is, unless you like being in the cell with Charles's body for company. If that is the case you just have to ask me or continue to lie to me and I will make sure he keeps you company," Jack taunted her. He moved out of the front of her cell, reaching down to help the Doctor to his feet. The Doctor let go of his leg to grab onto his hand as he allowed Jack to help him to stand. 

"Please, I will tell you anything you want to know. Don't leave me here," Sky begged from inside the cell as the two of them started to the door.

"Yes you will when I come back in a few hours," Jack responded. He shut off the lights to the cells sending them into complete darkness. The darkness finally sent the Doctor over the edge into his panic. He screamed as he slammed Jack against the wall. Jack didn't want to lock him in the cell with his dislocated shoulder. Deciding to try something new, he dragged the Doctor up the stairs sitting down on the couch with him. He held the Doctor to his chest with his arms wrapped around his stomach to avoid pressure on his shoulder. The Doctor continued to scream, fighting to get loose from Jack's arms. Jack made gentle sushing noises as he tried to avoid betting headbutted in the face by the flailing Doctor. 

"Do you need help to get him down to the cells?" Martha questioned as she entered the room to find the Doctor fighting Jack. 

"Not at the moment. I want to see if I can calm him down first," Jack responded keeping his voice soft. 

"Well when you get a moment please come to the autopsy room. Ianto is awake and he is asking for you," Martha informed him. 

"I will be there soon," Jack told her. "Hopefully," he added under his breath as the Doctor continued to scream.


	32. Chapter 32

Jack continued to hold the Doctor with one arm as he ran his fingers gently up and down the Doctor's chest with the other. He continued making gentle shushing sounds as the Doctor fought against him. The Doctor continued to fight to the point that Jack started to become tired. He was worried he wasn't going to be able to restrain him much longer. Just when he was about to give in and take the Doctor to the cells the Doctor finally began to calm. His fighting became less frantic as he relaxed into Jack's touch. Jack kissed him softly on the back of his head as he hummed gently. The Doctor relaxed back against him resting his head backward against Jack's shoulder. 

"Are you feeling better?" Jack questioned as the Doctor went still. He was relieved that he had been able to calm him without having to place the Doctor into the cells. He also knew that he wasn't going to be able to calm him by holding him every time. It had taken almost all of his strength to keep the Doctor still long enough. If he panicked again in the next few minutes, Jack had no chance of restraining him long enough to calm him down again. The best thing would be to avoid the Doctor's panic attacks all together, but it was sometimes hard to predict what would set him off. 

"Jack," The Doctor whimpered as he squirmed again.

"I take that as a not quite yet. That's alright, we can stay here for a while longer," Jack reassured the Time Lord as he began to hum softly once more. The Doctor sighed resting against Jack listening to him. Once the song was over, Jack carefully eased the Doctor back to his feet. The Doctor gripped his arm tightly as the two of them went down to see Ianto. Ianto was sitting up in his bed as Jack entered staring towards the doorway. 

"Jack what happened?" He asked weakly as Jack entered the room. He sounded tired still and needed to go back to sleep. He was being stubborn, though, and wanted answers first. The last thing he remembered was sitting on the sofa drinking tea with Sky, then he had woken up in the autopsy room feeling as if he hadn't slept in years, yet Martha had informed him that he had been asleep for the last fifteen hours. "Martha said that Sky was working with Charles, but that is impossible I kept a close eye on her. She never went near Charles."

"I'm sorry Ianto, but it is true. Sky drugged you yesterday after I left. She attacked Martha and then her and Charles tried to take the Doctor," Jack told him softly. He sat down in the chair next to the bed and then not seeing any other choice pulled the Doctor down to sit on his lap. The Doctor didn't mind as he cuddled into Jack happy that Martha wasn't examining him as he could see her lingering at the edge of the room. "I have a question for you Ianto and I want an honest answer. Did you help Sky send messages to the base?"

"What? No," Ianto answered sounding appalled Jack could even think that he helped her to attack the others. 

"I didn't think you did, but you have grown close to her this last month," Jack responded. While he believed Ianto he had no choice but to have Mickey investigate Ianto's involvement. He could accomplish that by using the CCTV feed as well as the history on the computers without having to involve Ianto. Jack hoped silently that he wasn't making a mistake in trusting Ianto still as he really did care for the young Welshman. 

"It's not as if you have paid much attention this last month," Ianto snipped as he narrowed his eyes at Jack. The Doctor whimpered softly at his tone. Jack absently mindedly began to stroke the Doctor's back. 

"I know and I am sorry that I haven't been. With the Doctor, the base, and Torchwood, I haven't had much time this last month for anything else. I have missed you, though," Jack told Ianto. 

"I've missed you to sir," Ianto replied softly.

"Then we should sit down and talk about our relationship when you are feeling better," Jack told him with a smile. Ianto shook his head. 

"Forgive me for saying it, but I don't know how we can ever have a proper relationship while you are taking care of him." There was no anger in his voice only sadness as he spoke. Jack reached out with the hand that wasn't rubbing the Doctor's back to take Ianto's hand in his. Ianto squeezed his hand tightly. 

"I won't lie to you and say that the Doctor isn't always going to come first. He is still fully dependent on me taking care of him throughout the day just so that he can stay alive, but that doesn't mean that you will ever should or have to come second. It just means that there are times I will have to help him or restrain him when necessary," Jack informed him. 

"I know that you love him, though, you have never hidden that even before he started spending time at the hub again," Ianto whispered not wanting to trust Jack then to have his heartbroken all over again because Jack decided to be with the Doctor. Jack sighed he really didn't want to have this conversation now with the Doctor on his lap and Ianto falling asleep in the bed in front of him, but Ianto wasn't giving him any other choice. 

"I do love him, and I have always loved him, but that doesn't mean that I can't love or care about you. It also doesn't mean that I am going to even attempt to have a relationship with him when he is like this. That doesn't mean I am not going to take care of him or love him until he is better but Ianto, I don't think he is ever going to be able to take care of himself again in this body and I don't know if regeneration will help his mind or I will be taking care of him in his next body as well. He might prove me wrong. He might wake up a week from now being able to dress himself properly." The Doctor looked down at his bare chest as Jack spoke. It wasn't his fault that buttons were hard. Jack didn't notice that the Doctor was listening as he focused on Ianto. "I'm never going to abandon him, though, as he deserves more than that from this universe. Martha has threatened to take him away from me, but I can never let that happen. It wouldn't be fair to him to be taken care of by someone in a generation or two who just sees him as a burden passed down in their family. Who doesn't remember the man he once was and know of the progress that he made since coming back to the hub."

"I wouldn't ask you to," Ianto responded softly.

"Then you need to understand that by dating me or having a relationship with me, he is going to be around. If one day we get a house together than he is going to live there too," Jack told Ianto firmly. 

"Almost like dating a man who has children," Ianto laughed and Jack smiled. 

"Almost," He agreed. He squeezed Ianto's hand as his eyes drifted closed for a moment. Ianto forced his eyes back open. "I think we have talked enough for now. The sedative that she gave you is extremely powerful and it will take a few days for it to finish clearing your system. During that time you just need to rest." 

"I agree," Martha stated as she finally came forward. She was trying not to listen to their conversation, but the amount of loyalty that Jack showed towards the Doctor amazed her. Especially the fact that he was willing to pause his life to take care of the Time Lord for as long as necessary. "You need to just rest now Ianto, no more discussing relationships with Jack and I don't even want you to contemplate trying to go back to work for at least another few days."

"Yes ma'am," Ianto accepted willingly as he was feeling too lethargic due to the drug still racing through his system. Jack stood making the Doctor stand up with him. The Doctor groaned the loss of warmth as he eyed Martha positive that it was his turn to be examined. Much to his relief, though, Jack kissed Ianto on the head before tucking the blankets around him. As the young Welshman drifted off to sleep, Jack took the Doctor up to his office to watch cartoons as he worked. He had a lot to think about, though, and soon he gave up on working, settling back to hold the Doctor. The Doctor cuddled up to him his eyes still on the telly as Jack was lost in thought.


	33. Chapter 33

That night Jack snuggled the Doctor close to his body as Martha sedated him for the night. She drew up a second dose, placing it on the bedside table in case the Doctor needed it again during the night. The Doctor had refused to eat or drink for the entire day, so Martha also placed an IV to provide him nutrients. Jack hoped that he would be able to get the Doctor over his new phase quickly, but he had no doubt in his mind that it was going to be a struggle. He normally didn't need to sleep that much, but he was exhausted from the events over the last few days. He curled himself around the Doctor holding him against his chest as he joined him in his slumber. He was awoken to the Doctor screaming as he thrashed on the bed trying desperately to get out of Jack's arms. Jack made gentle shushing noises as he grabbed the syringe off the bedside table injecting it into the cannula in his arm. The Doctor went still as the sedative took effect quickly calming him down. Jack couldn't sleep anymore, though, so he slipped out of the bed heading upstairs to watch the CCTV monitor as well as the rift. 

Looking at his watch, he found that it was only about two in the morning. The rest of the hub was sleeping, although, he wasn't sure if Sky was still alive. He also wasn't sure if he actually cared. He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. He didn't realize he had drifted off to sleep again before he was awoken rudely by a tight grip on his arm. The Doctor had tears streaming down his face as he climbed onto Jack's lap. He had woken up alone and terrified in their room alone and terrified in the dark. He had taken the horrible needle out of his arm before making his way up to find Jack. 

"You're alright," Jack reassured him as he rubbed his back comfortingly. "How about a nice hot cup of tea and a banana to help you calm down."

"No," The Doctor whimpered as he held tighter to Jack. He stayed curled up on Jack's lap as Jack watched the monitors. He was slightly surprised when Sky began to stir in the early morning. She opened her eyes to find that she was still in the cell with Charles's body. It had taken almost a day, but Sky had finally broke. She backed away from Charles as she started to scream. 

"I'll tell you anything you want to know. Just please let me out of here," She screamed with a hoarse voice. Jack turned off the sound on the monitor as he watched ready to go down there and talk to her. Still he made her wait for another hour while he finished having his cuddle with the Doctor. Taking the Doctor's hand, he led him down to the cells making him sit against the wall once more as he spoke to the terrified woman. 

"I'm listening," He informed her loudly as she paused for a breath.

"Please just let me out," She begged him. 

"How about you tell me what I want to hear and I'll consider it," He replied.

"Please," She cried dragging herself towards the cell door.

"You have a choice. Either tell me what I want to know or I could just leave you in here until you die," Jack taunted her. "How about I give you another couple hours to think about what you want to tell me." He turned starting to leave. The Doctor narrowed his eyes as Jack didn't help him up. Instead, Jack stood just out of sight as he waited for Sky's reaction. He didn't have to wait long as she immediately began to sob again. 

"Please, don't leave me here. I will tell you anything you want to know," She screamed. Jack smiled to himself as he moved back into Sky's line of sight. 

"I'm waiting," He told her. 

"I really was just a receptionist," She began her voice shaking.

"I doubt that," Jack replied. He crossed his arms trying to look bored as he waited for her to continue.

"We worked in teams of three," She continued trying desperately to make him understand. "For every volunteer we kept there was a team of two scientists, and a receptionist to analyze them. One of the scientists would be in charge of testing drugs on memory loss or diseases and sometimes pain-inducing drugs. The second one was there to test their limits. It could be for numerous things but in the Doctor's case we needed to know his pain threshold and then there was me. I would go in as they started to lose their minds from the drugs that we gave them. I was the friendly face after all the pain that they endured. Someone that they could talk to who wouldn't hurt them. I would sneak water into him as I reassured him that I was just trying to help." 

"So you were just there to gather information," Jack concluded. Sky nodded.

"Yes, I was sent in after two weeks to begin collecting information. We knew all about the Doctor, he is after all a legend in my time. We all fought for the chance to work with him, but I was the one lucky enough to be chosen," Sky admitted proudly. Jack didn't interrupt her even if he did want to walk in there and dig his fingers into her leg. "Our bosses were eager to know more about the Time Lords and the technology behind the Tardis, but he refused to tell us anything. He was stronger than we ever could have imagined and even at his weakest all he did was talk about his companions. Finally, I was sent in to fake a rescue in order to get him to give me access to his ship. We hoped that he would take me to someone that had the answers we were looking for. Charles was supposed to have been told I was coming, but he didn't check his messages that often so he really attacked me as I tried to leave with the Doctor. We both got in trouble for our actions especially me when the ship wouldn't leave with me on it. I waited as long as I could before I finally stepped off to get help. The door slammed behind me as he left without me."

"I bet that got you in even more trouble," Jack told her without sympathy. She missed the sarcasm in his voice as she continued. 

"I was given a second chance to make things right. I was ordered to come to the address the Doctor gave us. I was told to give you whatever information you wanted about Charles or anyone else who worked for the base in order to gain your trust. Once I had it, I was supposed to try to convince you to help me find the Doctor, so we could somehow bring him back to the base. I was surprised to find the Doctor was already here when I arrived. Still I followed the plans the best I could and the first opportunity I got, tried to leave with him. Charles ruined everything, though, if he had just left when I wanted to we could have got back to the base before you returned. He never was good at following orders."

"Charles, was he ordered to rape the Doctor?" Jack seethed. 

"No, Charles did that for his own amusement. I didn't know the Doctor had Charles as his abuser until he told me he was raped. Charles was the only one on the entire base who would. They only used him on tough to crack individuals like the Doctor," Sky explained.

"I see," Jack mumbled to himself. "I need to think about what you've told me so I can determine the best punishment for your actions," Jack continued louder. He turned offering the Doctor a hand up as he started to leave the room.

"You said you would let me out," Sky screamed at him. 

"I said I would consider it," Jack retaliated. "I don't know if I want to open the cell at this point. I mean by now you probably stink of sweat, urine, and blood. I really don't want to smell that."

"Please," She whimpered.

"Tell me, and I want the truth, did you ever show mercy to the Doctor," Jack questioned. 

"I gave him water and pieces of food." she replied.

"Which were drugged. It took us forever to get him to eat properly without fear of the food and water offered. Now he won't eat again and I only have you to thank for it," Jack hissed at her.

"I swear to you that I didn't know," She responded once more slipping back to her lies. 

"I just don't believe you." Jack retorted. "Now give me a few hours to think and I will see about letting you out. Maybe, if you're lucky, I will even let Martha check your leg before you lose it." Giving the Doctor's hand a gentle tug he left her in the cells as she sobbed.


	34. Chapter 34

As Jack and the Doctor came out of the cells, they found that Ianto was watching the CCTV intently. Jack felt sorry for Ianto as he had woken up in the autopsy room after sleeping for almost 15 hours when he was drugged by someone he trusted. He was still woozy even if he had only slept or rested the last thirty-six hours and had been forbidden by Martha from working again for the day. Yet, he had still made his way to the computer to listen to Sky try to defend her actions. Jack didn't know what was going through Ianto's head he just hoped that the young Welshman had taken their conversation to heart, realizing that Jack would be there where he needed him. If only he would turn to him. 

"Are you at least going to feed her and give her water?" Ianto asked Jack softly as he passed through the room with the Doctor. Jack paused staring down at the floor as he refused to meet Ianto's eyes. 

"After everything that she has done to him, I am tempted to just leave her in there," Jack responded. He lifted his head to see the pain in Ianto's eyes. There were many times in his long life when he wished that he could go back in time and change the outcome. This was one of them. He wanted more than anything to go back to the last day he saw the Doctor healthy and whole. He would demand that the Doctor take him with him to the base despite his protest. If the Doctor refused he would follow him to the base using the vortex manipulator, then kill everyone involved in the Doctor's capture. He couldn't though. Even after all the pain the Doctor went through he would be upset with Jack for changing time as there was no way to know what the consequences of Jack's actions would be. He might save the Doctor, but he could end up killing thousands of innocent people in the process.

"Whatever you think is best," Ianto told him voice showing no emotion despite Jack knowing that he was breaking inside. He wanted to go over to Ianto and wrap his arms around him. 

"I'll tell you what Ianto. I know that this is hurting you so I will make you a deal with you. When he eats then she can eat," Jack told him. 

"He has stopped eating?" Ianto asked in surprise he knew how much the Doctor loved his bananas or his toast with marmalade. The fact that Jack couldn't coax him into eating them was a testament about how much he had regressed.

"He won't eat, won't drink. He barely sleeps when he isn't sedated. He hasn't said more than a half-dozen words in the last twenty-four hours and refuses to leave my side. My arm is already bruised from his grip and I don't think he is going to be feeling well enough to be independent again anytime soon." The Doctor removed his hand for a moment to gently pat Jack's arm offering him a sympathetic grin before returning his vice like grip to Jack's wrist. "I know my arm is nothing compared to the pain that he is in, but we are all suffering Ianto." 

"I'm sorry." It was Ianto's turn to hang his head. It was his fault this was happening as he was the one who had trusted Sky.

"Next week if he continued to do well, we were going to take him out to see the sun. We weren't going to go far as we didn't know how he would deal with people, but we were at least going to let him get some fresh air. Do you know the last time he saw the sun?" Jack questioned as he finally looked at Ianto. 

"No," Ianto replied as he shook his head. 

"Neither do I but had gone almost a full day without having a panic attack during the daytime and so Martha and I figured he was almost ready. Thanks to Sky it will be even longer before he is better now. We are still thinking about trying to take him outside along the pier, but it all depends if he trust me enough to keep him safe outside the walls of the hub. I don't know how long you were watching, but Sky admitted that she was planning on helping Charles kidnap him back to the base. He deserves more than that. He deserves to be able to see the sun and live without worry that he is going to be hurt again. Sky, on the other hand, deserves no sympathy and she is going to get none from me." Jack snipped angrily at Ianto. He took a deep breath as the Doctor's grip tightened on his arm. He really didn't want to cause the Doctor to panic again. He also could see the pain he was causing Ianto reflected in his eyes. Ianto turned to look at the screen again as he wiped his eyes. 

"You loved her?" Jack whispered all the harshness from his tone gone. 

"I cared for her," Ianto responded just as softly.

"Regardless of how you feel about her, she still needs to be punished for her involvement with trying to kidnap the Doctor," Jack stated running his free hand down his face. 

"Killing her won't change what happened," Ianto informed him. 

"Martha has the second key if you want to give her a drink of water," Jack finally relented. "Under no circumstances are you to release her from the cell or tend to her leg," He continued as he turned to once more head to his office.

"Thank you." Ianto stood going slowly over to Jack. He wrapped his arms around him holding Jack as tightly as he could. Jack hugged him back with one arm. He kissed Ianto on the side of the cheek before releasing him. 

"Please, don't make me regret it," Jack mumbled in his ear. Ianto nodded. 

"I won't," He promised. Jack watched him head across the hub towards the kitchen to retrieve a bottle of water for Sky. He waited until he had disappeared down the stairs to the autopsy room to get the key from Martha before he took the Doctor towards the door leading out of the hub. He opened the door, starting to step through it, but the Doctor refused to go with him. He stared at the door wide eyed. 

"No, Jack," He moaned as he tried to pull him back into the safety of the hub. He wanted to go up to the office and watch his cartoons. He didn't want to go outside the door where the people waited to take him back to the place where they hurt him.

"Another time then," Jack reassured him as he came back in closing the hub door behind him. He allowed the Doctor to pull him away from the hub door as he watched Ianto return to sit in front of the CCTV with the bottle of water still in hand. Jack was about to question whether or not Martha had given him the key when Ianto laid it on the table. Not wanting to influence Ianto's decision to help Sky, he took the Doctor up the stairs to his office.


	35. Chapter 35

It had been two weeks since the second incident and Jack was losing all hope with the Time Lord. His bruised arm ached constantly from the Doctor's grip. Many of the bruises on Jack's arm were deep black from the Doctor going into terrors while he held Jack's arm and slamming it in to random objects. The Doctor stopped eating and he refused to drink anything even if he watched Martha or Jack make it. On more than one occasion he had to be restrained to the bed with an IV in his arm as he became dehydrated from lack of nutrition. He refused to speak more than a half dozen words and only slept when his body gave out. So as the Doctor sat quietly in the chair behind him, Jack called Flat Holm Island. He didn't want to take the Doctor there but he received conformation that they could handle someone new and would begin to prepare a room. He made arrangements to transfer the Doctor there in three days time if he didn't show any improvement. In the short term he knew it would hurt the Doctor more, but he hoped in the long term they would be able to do more for him since he was failing him so badly. 

After the transfer, Jack planned to head straight to the base that had held the Doctor. He no longer cared whether or not it would affect the future. He was going to bring the place down. The previous week Jack had finally received a letter back from the base that Sky and Charles worked for. *We want them back.* That was all it said. No threat, no time frame and no clues. Jack of course was not about to comply with the letter. They could have Charles body back, if they really wanted it. He would happily give them Sky as well when she finally passed away as she was on the verge of joining Charles. Her leg had become infected after Jack refused to let Martha treat it right away. It was only after Ianto asked Jack to save her that Sky had been moved to the second cell and Martha allowed to try to save her life. As it was now, Martha had informed him that Sky was more then likely going to lose her leg from the knee down as she was failing to respond to the antibiotics. He sat down the paperwork work he had been trying to work on before standing up. 

"I'm hungry. Come on let's get you some dinner," He told the Doctor knowing the Time Lord wouldn't eat. He took him to the kitchen making himself and the Doctor a peanut butter and banana sandwich. He set the sandwich down in front of the Doctor but he just stared at it as Jack devoured his own dinner. The Doctor seemed even more distracted then usual that night. Jack took that as a bad sign that he was going to have an early night in the cells. He sighed waiting for the Doctor to panic as the two of them continued on their normal routine.

As the night went on Jack watched the Time Lord pacing the room as he watched the telly. Glancing down at his watch he noted that he had been wrong about the Doctor. If the Doctor continued on the same path then he had about another half hour before he would need to go to the cell. Then and only then would Jack be able to have some time to himself. Jack watched in amazement, though, as rather then getting more violent the Doctor instead started to calm down. He curled up on the couch next to Jack resting his head on his shoulder. Jack cautiously wrapped his arm around him holding him close. After a few minutes he realized the Doctor had fallen asleep

"Well this is new" Jack whispered to himself. In truth he realized he felt a little irritated. He was trying to get paperwork in order so that it would be an easier transfer to Flat Holm, but now with the Doctor breaking routine, he didn't know what to expect. Jack didn't sleep that night as he sat cautiously holding the Doctor as he waited for him to wake afraid and in a fit. The Doctor, though, slept peacefully until around five in the morning when the Doctor woke up. He smiled at Jack as he stretched.

"Tea" he asked Jack hopefully. Jack nodded as he stood up. There was something different in the Doctor's eyes, a light that hadn't been there before. He hoped it remained in two days time as he really didn't want to have to send the Doctor away.

-DW-

His dreams had become even more confusing. Two Mickey's were black leather coats were standing in front of metal men. Both of them were holding large guns as they tried to protect them. He saw Rose flying away from him as he screamed, knowing that if she made it to the void she would be lost to him forever. Martha was being held at gun point as she was pulled away from him as two people kept apologizing for taking her. He laughed with Jack sitting at a table before an earthquake that rocked the TARDIS. Regardless of the dream Charles was always standing there watching him. Laughing at him as friends disappeared. He was afraid to be away from Jack for even a moment. Jack had promised him that Charles wouldn't hurt him again but Jack couldn't protect him if he wasn't there so he always made sure that Jack stayed close. 

At the moment, he was sitting in Jack's office with the telly on. He wasn't watching it as he kept his eyes closed tightly while Jack was working. Jack was on the phone talking to somebody, but he tuned him out to listen to the TARDIS instead. The TARDIS was singing to him again as he listened to her. That was when he suddenly realized that there were words in her melody. Curious, he opened his mind further to her as he tried to understand. She cautiously entered his mind her song uplifting him further even if her song was filled with sorrow. Gently the TARDIS caressed his mind showing him images in his head. Eagerly he accepted the information and as her singing continued memories flooded him. He saw himself in eleven different bodies with many different people who he had considered friends, family, or just companions. Their names became known to him as the dreams mixed with the nightmares all of them becoming a part of his memories. Some of his own memories which had remained locked away from him began to join her memories causing his mind to feel more alive then it had in months. He opened his eyes and for the first time in awhile, he could see the timelines dancing in front of him, bright lights arching through the air. Jack was a bright white light sitting in the middle of it all as the other lights bounced off of him. The impossibleness that was Jack burned his senses. It intrigued him but at the same time it made him feel safe.

*Thank you* he thought to the TARDIS as she hummed at him in happiness that her thief was returning to her. She had waited patiently for him to realize she was still there waiting for him. Waiting for him to be ready to open his mind again, so she could show her thief the things he had lost. Her song turned from sorrow to happiness as he welcomed her back. She could help him now that he was ready. That night as the terror the darkness held nudged his mind and the restlessness grew, he heard the TARDIS's song more clearly. He let his fears flow into her as she cradled him in her warmth, telling him that it would be alright. He curled up next to Jack as he listened to her telling him he was safe. He believed her as he gently let her song lull him to sleep.


	36. Chapter 36

Even if his memories were finally coming back, there were still gaps missing from them. Like he could remember landing on the base but he couldn't remember the events that led him there or stepping off the TARDIS. He could remember the names of his children and knew that he once had a family, except they were hazy to him as he had never actually brought them aboard the TARDIS. In a way, his limited memories were almost worse than not having them at all as he was quickly becoming frustrated at trying to connect the gaps together. He could see Jack aboard the TARDIS with him, then Jack was gone but he came back and the Doctor couldn't figure out how. Not that he minded as he needed Jack there just as much as before. Jack still kept him safe from Charles and others who were out to hurt him. It was with the restoration of his memories that he learned just how many enemies that he had and the fact that Jack had managed to keep him safe from all of the was nothing short of a miracle. 

 

"Morning," Martha announced interrupting his thoughts as she entered the kitchen. She didn't bother to ask how the night went because based on how tired Jack seemed the Doctor had another long night. The tea and toast sitting in front of the Doctor were virtually untouched, but on the positive side he was eating again even if it was a small amount. She wondered how Jack had finally coaxed him into eating as for the last two weeks he had ignored their every attempt. Still it wasn't enough to sustain his body and she was going to have to supplement his body via an IV once more. As she walked over to the Doctor, he held up his arms for her to examine. She took his hand in her as she looked for new cuts or bruises on his arms that would need tending to. She was surprised but relieved when she didn't find any indicating the night hadn't been as rough as she first thought. 

 

"Right after you finish breakfast, I want to get him hooked to an IV so he doesn't become dehydrated. At that time, I will also need to draw blood to see if he is deficient in anything. If necessary, we may need to place him on a second IV tonight after dinner to make sure that he has the nutrients that he needs in his body," Martha explained to Jack as she finished her examination. Satisfied the Doctor hadn't hurt himself she turned to get a cup of tea as she continued to speak. " You may have to place the second IV yourself as this afternoon I need to operate on Sky's leg."

 

"Fine," Jack replied not looking up.

 

"Depending on what I find during the operation her leg may have to be amputated," Martha advised him as she sat down at the table and looked at Jack.

 

"Maybe she will finally learn her lesson," Jack sighed loudly, running his hand down his face as he leaned back in his chair. "Is Ianto with her?"

 

"No, he still refuses to go to her," Martha responded. "Is something wrong Jack?"

 

"Besides the fact the Doctor is gone and we are trying to save the life of the woman who helped injure him just when he was starting to come back to us?" Jack spat.

 

"Yes," Martha replied calmly not taking the bait to start an argument with him. 

 

"I made arrangements for him to go to Flat Holm the day after tomorrow if he doesn't improve," Jack told her sadly as he finally looked at Martha. His eyes were screaming with pain as he silently begged her to tell him that he had made the wrong choice. 

 

"We knew it might come to this from the beginning," Martha offered sympathetically. "I am not saying you are making the right choice, but we both know that they can take care of him better than we can. As much as it would hurt for you to lose him, it might be beneficial in the long run so that you can start to get your life back, Jack."

 

"Maybe," Jack muttered as he reached out to take Martha's hand in his. It wasn't the answer that he wanted even if he knew she was right. She squeezed his hand in hers as he yawned loudly. 

 

"When is the last time that you slept?" Martha wondered. Jack shook his head.

 

"I don't need to sleep," He responded immediately. 

 

"Let me rephrase my question. Why don't you go to sleep for a few hours this morning?" Martha questioned.

 

"Because I can't leave his sight. I can't go anywhere without him clinging on to me making sure that I don't leave his sight for a minute. Hell, I haven't even had the shower to myself in a week unless I shower at night. Nothing I do matters though as all he does is stare into space letting himself die. If we didn't stop him by providing him nutrition through an IV, I am positive he would be dead by now. Then just when I think I have his routine figured out, he breaks it sleeping on the couch next to me all night," Jack ranted growing louder as he went. He ignored the Doctor's steady whimpers as he ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

 

"He slept last night?" Martha asked in confusion. 

 

"He did. The night was going normal and I was getting ready to take him down to the cells for the night when he suddenly decided to curl up against me to sleep. I didn't sleep the entire night as I kept expecting him to wake up in a panic," Jack admitted to her. Martha looked over at the Time Lord who was still picking at his toast as he listened to them talk about him. She thought for just a moment that she saw an understanding in his eyes that hadn't been there before, but it was gone quickly. 

 

"Then you need to sleep today. I will sedate him so that he keeps the IV in while you rest, but you need to rest," Martha informed Jack. He didn't argue her as he nodded knowing that he needed the sleep even if he didn't want it. After they finished breakfast the three of them headed down to Jack's room. Martha made a quick detour to the autopsy room, returning with a fresh bag of saline for the Doctor as well as several syringes. She hung the IV off of the IV stand that had become a permanent fixture in Jack's room the last two weeks. Jack had just finished changing into a pair of sleeping trousers as she entered the room. He helped the Doctor change into his pajamas before he climbed up on the bed. Laying down he lifted his arm for the Doctor to join him. The Doctor hesitated as he stared at the IV, but he gave into Jack climbing on the bed and snuggling against Jack. Jack wrapped his arms around the Time Lord holding him tightly as Martha inserted the needle into the Doctor's arm taping it into place. Jack had to hold his hand tightly as immediately The Doctor tried to take it out.

 

"Leave it alone," Martha chastised him softly." Until you start eating and drinking again you need the IV. I really don't want to put a feeding tube down your throat as well but if you don't start eating soon that is the next step." Though Martha directed her statement at the Doctor it was more to let Jack know of her plans then because she thought the Doctor would take the threat seriously. Pulling three syringes out of her pocket, she filled them from the vials she had brought. She then emptied two of them into the port in the Doctor's IV before turning to Jack with the third still in her hand.

 

"This will help you to sleep," She told him. Jack nodded his permission holding his arm out for her. Martha gave him the injection, then covered the two of them. As she left the room Jack kissed the Doctor gently on his head as they drifted off in each other's arms. When Jack woke up several hours later, the Doctor was staring at him gently stroking his hair with the hand that had the IV in it. Jack looked up to see that the IV bag had recently been replaced and wondered briefly how long he had been asleep.

 

"No, go, Jack," The Doctor whispered when he saw that Jack's eyes were open.

 

"I'm not going anywhere," Jack promised as he took the Doctor's hand in his own. He kissed him softly on his knuckles "I will stay here with you if you want to go back to sleep."

 

"Doctor no go, Jack," The Doctor tried to make Jack understand as his eyes filled with tears. The Doctor's mouth opened and closed several times as he made several strange noises struggling to find the words he wanted to say. "S-S-Sorry," he finally managed to spit out.

 

"You don't have anything to be sorry about." Jack released his hand pulling the cool body closer to him into a tight embrace. "You have done nothing wrong. No matter what happens I need you to understand that I am not punishing you, I am only trying to help you." The Doctor jerked away from him suddenly at his words and Jack released him. Before he could stop him, the Doctor jumped up and grabbed the IV from the stand. He hesitated before running out of the room. Not wanting to go alone, he pulled on Jack's hand. Curious of what the Doctor was up to Jack stood up, holding his hand as the Doctor pulled him out of the room heading towards the TARDIS. Together they went through the control room to the classroom that had been set up. The Doctor released his hand going over to the chalkboard in the corner. He laid his IV bag on the table as he erased the board. Then picking up a piece of chalk he began to draw.

 

"What are you doing?" Jack asked as he took a seat on the table. As he watched on, the Doctor drew a vague picture of Dalek. The Doctor grinned as he pointed at the Dalek.

 

"Rose," He announced happily.

 

"That's not what Rose looked like," Jack whispered sadly thinking the Doctor was confusing his memories again. The Doctor's face fell as he shook his head no furiously. Trying to make Jack understand, he turned back to the board drawing misshapen circles above the Dalek. He drew a stick figure lying on the ground and wrote the word Doctor above it in childish block letters. He tapped on the board with the chalk as he tried to make Jack understand even if he barely understood it himself. 

 

"I don't know what you are trying to tell me," Jack informed him. The Doctor glared at him before he furiously erased the board. He threw the eraser at the ground then ran his finger's through his hair, Glaring at Jack again, he started to draw on the board once more. He drew a rough picture of the TARDIS with more stick figures in it. He wrote his name again above one of them as he pointed at himself

 

"The TARDIS does belong to you if that is what you are trying to tell me." Jack trailed off as the Doctor growled. He thought that his head was thick with the memories. He stomped over rapping Jack on the head with his knuckles. "Hey," Jack protested as he pushed his hand away. The Doctor ignored him as he stormed back to the board. He then pointed at the TARDIS again. He then gestured to Jack, followed by himself.

 

"Jack go Doctor," He announced as he pointed at the TARDIS once more.

 

"We can travel together when you're better," Jack informed him standing up and picking the IV bag up. "Now let's get you back to bed. The IV is doing you no good laying on the table." The Doctor looked at Jack with disappointment as he followed him off the TARDIS. He didn't know how he was going to make Jack listen to him. Part of him wondered if Jack was on purposely not understanding what he was trying to tell him as it was easier just to think that he was confused than to realize that he was able to remember what happened. 

 

"There you two are," Martha exclaimed as they came out of the TARDIS together.

 

"Martha," The Doctor sounded relieved as he hurried over to her.

 

"How did the surgery go?" Jack asked casually as he kept up with the Time Lord to keep him from pulling the IV out of his arm.

 

"I wasn't able to save her leg. Once I got in there I found that there was too much damage from the gunshot as well as the infection. In order to save her life I had no choice but to amputate her leg below the knee," Martha stated. "Mickey is with her now and will explain when she wakes up."

 

"What about Ianto?" Jack asked in concern.

 

"He left as soon as the surgery was finished without saying anything," Martha responded. "If he doesn't come back soon, I will send Mickey after him." Jack shook his head at her. 

 

"He probably just needed a few minutes alone. If he doesn't come back though we aren't sending Mickey. Over the last month, I haven't really been there for him and it is time I changed that. If he needs anything it will be someone who can comfort him. I know him better than anyone else so I should be the one who goes after him," Jack told her. Martha didn't argue as she had been hoping that Jack would step up. She was about to comment but instead turned to the Doctor who was pulling on her sleeve eagerly.

 

"Yes, Doctor?" He pulled her arm, leading her through the TARDIS back to the classroom. Once there he pointed at the TARDIS he had drawn.

 

"Martha go Doctor." He smiled, "Jack go Doctor."

 

"One day," She told him casually not knowing if he would ever be able to travel again.

 

"No," He yelled in frustration as he stomped his foot. Jack moved closer ready to restrain the Doctor if necessary except he didn't continue with his fit as he went still. Tilting his head he listened to the TARDIS humming to him. He smiled broadly grabbing on to Martha's arm again and dragging her out into the corridors. He opened the door to the third door down to reveal the room Jack used when he traveled with him. The Doctor hurried in, picking a picture up off of the nightstand holding it out to Jack. Jack took it looking at the familiar picture that Mickey had taken of the three of them together as they rested in Cardiff. The Doctor leaned over tilting the picture so he could see it better. "Rose Jack Doctor," He pointed to each of them in turn, recognizing that the northerner with the big ears as himself. Jack turned to look at him, barely able to contain his hope as the Doctor recognized a picture of himself in his previous body.

 

"Banana good," he told Jack seriously before breaking into a huge grin.

 

"You remember that?" Jack asked as he smiled back at the Doctor. The Doctor nodded eagerly. "How?" The Doctor ran his hand along the TARDIS's wall. They all felt warm air as she hummed happily at him. 

 

"Doctor no go," He told Jack again as he laid his head against the doorframe.

 

"If the TARDIS is helping him we can't send him away from her," Martha stated calmly.

 

"No, we can't." Jack agreed relieved that he had a reason for the Doctor to stay with him. He took the Doctor into his arms hugging him tightly against him. 

 

"You would miss him," Martha chuckled as she nudged Jack with her shoulder.

 

"So would you." Jack retaliated not arguing her.

 

"I would miss him more, if he was a better patient, besides Flat Holm would have never known what hit them if we sent him there." Jack laughed knowing she was right. He released the Doctor and rather than taking him back to the hub, led him to his room. He helped the Doctor to lay down again, hanging up his IV bag before taking a seat beside the bed. Glancing at the time, he decided to give Ianto a little more time before going after him because as much as he needed the Welshman to be alright at the moment he didn't want to leave the Doctor as his wish had finally come true. Despite all odds being against them, the Doctor had returned to him.


	37. Chapter 37

"You wanted to see me sir?" Ianto asked as he entered the Doctor's room on the TARDIS. The Doctor was still laying on his bed staring up at the ceiling. For awhile, Jack was concerned how the Doctor wasn't moving until he glanced up to see that the TARDIS had turned the ceiling into a star map for her Time Lord. Jack didn't recognize the system but it kept the Doctor's attention enough that he wasn't picking at the tape on his arm for his IV. 

"I was worried about you," Jack admitted as he stood up heading over to the door. He took Ianto's hand leading him just outside of the room so that they could talk without disturbing the Doctor. 

"I'm fine," Ianto replied. Jack narrowed his eyes at him. 

"No you're not and that is alright. I know that you cared for Sky. Even if she betrayed you, you still cared about her enough to convince me to allow Martha to try to fix her leg," Jack told him. Ianto didn't answer him right away as he looked down the hall considering leaving. He leaned back against the wall as he waited for Ianto to reply. 

"I've thought a lot about us the last couple of days," Ianto finally said as he changed the subject on Jack. 

"And," Jack wondered in anticipation. 

"The Italian restaurant up the street is open late if you would like to get dinner," Ianto offered. Jack smiled taking a step forward he pressed the two of their lips together in a soft kiss. 

"I would like that," He agreed. 

-DW-

Over the next week, Jack quickly learned that even if the Doctor had his memories back that he didn't remember everything. It wasn't the quick fix that the Telly often portrayed and he found the Doctor's body was as limited as before. He still couldn't take care of himself relying on Jack just as much as before. His vocabulary was still extremely limited even if he now understood both Gallifreyan and English clearly. Also, he still found buttons hard as well as dressing himself difficult. In the mornings, he still needed a long cuddle with Jack to wake up properly. Not that Jack minded as he enjoyed holding the sleepy Time Lord in his arms. Also, even if he was coming back, he still wasn't eating or drinking properly. He would pick at whatever food was given to him, and he would sip his tea cautiously after smelling it first. 

The Doctor would have felt helpless in his body except for the fact that he still had the memories of the last two months of Jack taking care of him. It should have bugged him that he still needed to be taken care of like a child even though his memories had returned yet for some reason he didn't mind. He never got mouth kisses from Jack even if he wanted them. He only got kisses on the cheek or randomly on the top of his head which was nice, but only Ianto got mouth kisses. Not that he was jealous. Okay, he was slightly jealous as he watched them, but Jack deserved to be happy. He understood why Jack wouldn't kiss him on the mouth and didn't want a relationship with him as his mind didn't work properly. It didn't mean he liked it and he enjoyed cuddling with Jack.

He no longer went to the cell at night as the TARDIS helped to calm his mind as the restlessness grew. Jack had no doubt that if they took the TARDIS out of the equation that the Doctor would be back in the cells each night. Even if he didn't need the cell at night there were still times during the day that he had to go to the cell as he became violent randomly. There were times that Jack could calm him down by pulling the Doctor onto his lap and rubbing his back softly as he cuddled with him. Other times he had no choice, but to place the Doctor into his cell and allow him to pace until he calmed himself down. Overall life was going well and Jack just kept waiting for that to change.


	38. Chapter 38

Jack tried to make his relationship work with Ianto as the next few weeks passed. It was hard, though, as all of his free time still revolved around the Doctor. The Doctor was slowly making progress again as he let Martha take him into the TARDIS to learn each day. His speech was improving once more and he was now speaking in almost complete simple sentences rather than the broken words that he once used. He was even finding his independence once more, even if he depended on Jack to be there when he needed him. Because of that, it made finding time to spend alone with Ianto almost impossible. They never made it to the Italian restaurant together, instead they had to settle for dates at the hub. Thankfully the Doctor liked Ianto so Jack was able to include him even if a romantic candlelight dinner in the hub wasn't as romantic with the Doctor slurping spaghetti next to him. It was also with Ianto's help that Jack was able to take the Doctor outside for the first time in months. The Doctor clung tightly to Jack's arms as Ianto wrapped his arms protectively around him from the other side. The air was brisk that morning as a light snow fall covered the ground. The sun was just peeking out from behind the clouds making the day bright as the three of them stood in front of the hub doors.

 

"It snowed," The Doctor whispered as he looked out at the unmarred ground. He took a cautious step forward followed by another as he made sure that Jack stayed with him. Ianto carefully released him, still staying by his side in case he was needed. The Doctor didn't mind as he continued forward. 

 

"It did. The weatherman says it is suppose to melt as the day warms up, but it is supposed to snow again later in the week," Jack advised him. The Doctor nodded. Releasing Jack's arm with one hand, he leaned down gathering a small pile of snow. Bringing it up to his nose, he sniffed it before licking it. Dropping the snow, he let go of Jack so that he could lean down and make a small ball out of the snow. Jack watched on as the Doctor piled three snowballs on top of each other in a miniature snow man. 

 

"Do you still need me out here?" Ianto wondered coming up behind them.

 

"No, I think he is going to be alright playing in the snow for awhile," Jack responded. Ianto left them to go into the hub letting Jack keep an eye on the Doctor. The Doctor stood up, hurrying around his snowman as he headed down towards the water. With the plas void of people it wasn't as scary as he feared and he was eager to explore but only if Jack stayed close. Jack followed him staying within reaction distance watching the Doctor come to life. The Doctor had no memories of this place even though he had explored it before so everything was new and exciting to him. He licked, poked, examined and watched the different aspects of Cardiff's plas as the sun rose higher in the sky. If only he were babbling on about them, Jack could have pretended the Doctor was back to normal while the Doctor explored with childlike wonder. 

 

"You should come in for a cup of tea soon," Martha advised him, as she made her presence known. She had gotten to work over an hour ago but she didn't interrupt the Doctor's play. Instead she observed him on the CCTV happy that he was outside instead of hiding. 

 

"Can Doctor?" The Doctor asked distractedly. 

 

"Doctor we discussed this. It is can I when you are referring to yourself," Martha chastised him softly. The Doctor made a face at her. 

 

"Can I?" He corrected himself. 

 

"Of course. Let's get you inside and warmed up. Then you can work with Martha for a few hours while I work," Jack agreed. He took the Doctor's hand heading towards the hub. The Doctor walked with him, making sure to stomp on his snowman on the way into the hub. Martha shook her head as the Doctor giggled happily at the destruction. The two of them headed to Jack's room to first get the Doctor into dry clothes before he became sick while Martha made tea and coffee for them. The Doctor bounded over happily taking his tea from Martha before leaving the kitchen. He disappeared down the stairs to where Mickey was working, sitting next to him to stare at the artifact that had came in. They weren't sure what it was but the Doctor was fascinated by the glowing orb. Jack didn't follow him as he took as seat at the table with Martha instead. 

 

"I was talking to my mum this morning. She has invited all of us to the house for Christmas this year," Martha explained to Jack. 

 

"It is a nice offer, but I don't think he will do well in a crowd of people he doesn't know," Jack told her. Martha nodded her agreement. 

 

"That is what I explained to my mum. She knows the Doctor is healing but that he is still subject to random panic attacks. Christmas is still a few weeks away so rather than waiting until then to find out how he does, I was thinking we could take him to her house this weekend for dinner," Martha explained. "Then if he does panic it will only be a small group of us there rather than the entire extended family."

 

"That makes sense. He did better outside today than any of us thought he would. Maybe it is time to start introducing him to new people as well. Tell your mum that we will come up for dinner on Saturday. I am going to bring a light sedative for him, though, that way if it does become too much for him we can get him back here to Cardiff safely," Jack advised her. He stood up and went to the top of the stairs leading out into the hub. The Doctor was giggling as he played catch with the glowing orb against Mickey. He smiled happily at Jack as he chucked it towards him. Missing the orb bounced off the wall emitting a high pitched screech that had everyone covering their ears as Jack scrambled to contain it. The Doctor got there first, grabbing the ball he pressed his fingers into three indentations on the ball and the screeching stopped. 

 

"You shouldn't be playing with artifacts," Jack growled angrily snatching the ball out of the Doctor's hand. The Doctor glared at him, raising his hand to hit Jack for taking the ball from him. 

 

"Jack calm down. It is a toy," Mickey advised him as he rushed over. "The Doctor has identified it as a toy and the TARDIS agreed."

 

"Then why is it making that horrible noise," Jack wondered. He caught the Doctor's hand as the Doctor swung at him. 

 

"I don't know," Mickey responded. "We can find out, though." Mickey held his hand out for the ball. Jack sighed handing it back to him. He really didn't like them playing with the artifacts regardless of whether or not that was their intended use. He turned to the Doctor who was now trying to tug his arm away from Jack as he watched Mickey take the ball back to his workstation. 

 

"Are you calm?" Jack asked him softly. 

 

"Yes," The Doctor replied with a huff. Jack released his arm keeping an eye on the Doctor as he stormed back over to Mickey. He flopped down in his chair reaching out his hand for the ball. Mickey gave it back to him. The Doctor stared at Jack as he threw the ball into the air. He didn't even try to catch it, instead letting it slam into the ground as he waited for Jack to react to the screeching. Jack didn't risk setting the Doctor off, instead he turned to head to his office as the Doctor picked the ball up again. The hub went silent for a moment before the screeching started again. Jack apologized silently to his team members as he closed the door to his office, and tried to work. It was going to be a long day for all of them.


	39. Chapter 39

"Sir, I got it," Ianto told him excitedly as he came rushing into the room with a piece of paper in his hand. He waved it around happily as the shrill of the ball hitting the floor once more filled the hub.

"I really hope it is his transfer papers," Jack mumbled reaching for a bottle of medication. Ever since becoming immortal he rarely had headaches. Today was one of those rare occasions as the Doctor's toy had filled the hub with the high-pitched screech every few minutes for the last hour. Jack was about ready to go take it from him, consequences be damned. He amused himself for a moment as he thought about placing it in the cell that Sky currently occupied. 

"No, it is a listing for a house that I think will be perfect for the three of us," Ianto informed him. He laid the paper down on the desk then came around it to massage Jack's shoulders as he picked up the paper. Jack looked over the listing for the home. It was a large three bedroom home with a full living room, kitchen and additional room on the ground floor that could be used as an office. There was also a small basement that they could convert to a safe room for the Doctor. Best of all it was only a short drive from Cardiff. 

"It looks lovely," Jack groaned leaning his head forward for Ianto to massage lower on his back. 

"I called the realtor they have agreed to a showing this afternoon. I was thinking we could head out while the Doctor is with Martha and have lunch together," Ianto offered. Jack was tempted to take him up on his offer. It would be nice to get away for the afternoon, except the Doctor wouldn't feel the same way. If they were careful, though, they could be back before he woke from his afternoon nap and expected his cuddle with Jack. 

"I'd like that," Jack agreed. Standing up he went down to the autopsy room to inform Martha of their plan. She agreed to take the Doctor straight through to bed after they finished with their session for the day, hoping he wouldn't notice Jack's absence right away. If he did, Mickey was strong enough to restrain him and move him to the cells. Jack thanked her as they headed to get the Doctor. He disappeared without complaint with Martha to his lessons as Jack snuck out of the hub with Ianto. 

Being in the fresh air without having to worry about the Time Lord was exactly what he needed. The two of them finally had their nice lunch at the Italian restaurant before driving up to view the home. The home was better than Jack expected with large windows on the ground floor that made the space feel even bigger. The kitchen needed to be remodeled as well as the small basement. There were also a few improvements he wanted to make, but overall he saw it as a place that he could live comfortably at with Ianto and the Doctor. Since he had been working as well as living at Torchwood for years, he was able to pay for the home in full and Ianto agreed to look into contractors to remodel the home. Jack was happy as he climbed back into the SUV until he looked at the time. 

"Shit," he swore realizing the Doctor would have already woken from his nap. Jack sped the entire way back to the hub rushing into find the Doctor curled up on the couch with Martha. She was gently stroking his head, but it offered him no peace as there were tears in the Time Lords eyes as he rested his head on Martha's thigh. "Oh, sweetheart I'm sorry I am late," Jack cooed dropping to his knees in front of the Time Lord. To his surprise the Doctor turned his head away from Jack.

"Jack mean," He sobbed.

"I know. I got caught up. I didn't mean to be gone so late," Jack apologized. He gently reached out to rub the Doctor's back happy when he didn't flinch away from his touch. "Ianto and I found a home for the three of us to live in. You will like it, it has a large yard that you can explore and you will have your own room."

"Doesn't that sound nice?" Martha asked the Doctor. He made a rude noise with his mouth at her and Jack chuckled. 

"I rushed back here for our cuddle, but if you don't want it I guess I will just go to my office," Jack informed him as he stood. That got the desired reaction out of the Doctor and he practically threw himself into Jack's arms.

"Jack no leave me," The Doctor whimpered forgetting his words. Jack kissed him on the top of the head. 

"I will never leave you," Jack promised as he settled down to hold the Time Lord for a little while. 

-DW-

Saturday rolled around to the Doctor not feeling well. He wanted to do nothing but cuddle with Jack all day. Jack gave him medication to help him feel better, before dressing him in his brown suit with red converse shoes. Ianto arrived early to the hub to drive them to Martha's house as Jack was positive he was going to be dealing with the Time Lord the entire trip. Sure enough the Doctor became agitated as Jack put his coat on. He followed Jack, though, trusting him until he saw the SUV. He didn't want to get in it, making Jack pick him up and place him in the back seat. A short panic attack later he held onto Jack as Ianto started the engine for the drive up to Martha's.

"Doctor no go," He whimpered over and over again as Jack held him close. 

"It's going to be alright. We are just going to see Martha and her family. Ianto and I will be with you the entire time," Jack tried to reassure the Time Lord as he resorted back to his childish words. He was terrified and no amount of reassurance from Jack was going to comfort him. He wanted to go back to the safety of the hub where he could hear the TARDIS humming to him as he moved about. He could still hear her, but with every mile her song grew softer as he tried desperately to cling to her. He didn't know how long they drove for before pulling up in front of a simple house. Ianto opened the door and got out first, then opened the door to help Jack get the Doctor out. 

"We're here Doctor, it is time to get out," Ianto informed him as he took the Doctor's arm giving it a gentle tug. 

"No," The Doctor screamed fighting to remain in the SUV and in Jack's arms. He didn't want to go into the strange place. Strange places were bad and meant pain. 

"You're alright," Jack cooed scooting closer to the door. With Ianto's help he got the Doctor out of the SUV, but he had to wrap his arms around the screaming Time Lord as he went into a full panic attack. He slapped, kicked, screamed and tried to bite Jack as Jack drug him towards Martha's parents house. The door to the house opened and Martha stood in the entryway looking concerned. 

"Are you sure you should bring him inside?" Martha wondered as she questioned her decision to insist the Doctor came over. 

"He will calm down once he realizes he is safe," Jack hoped as he half carried the Doctor up the steps. The Doctor fought harder as strange people were watching him while Jack hauled him over to the couch sitting down on it. He could hear Jack humming softly, but he ignored him as he fought harder to get away. 

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Francine wondered as Jack managed to wrap his legs around the Doctor's to hold him firmly in place. 

"He is going to want a cup of tea once he is calm," Ianto answered. Clive ushered his other kids out of the room to give the Doctor a little privacy while he fought against Jack.

"I am sure he needs more then tea," Francine responded.

"Jack's got him. He won't calm down for anyone else so we have to let Jack help him," Martha explained as she pulled her mother towards the kitchen. She had explained the Doctor's tendency for panic attacks to Francine, but she knew that it was completely different to hear about them then to actually see one. Still, she managed to get her mother to head to the kitchen. Once they were out of sight the Doctor stopped struggling as much. There was only Jack and Ianto in the room and he trusted them to keep him safe. Cautiously he rested back against Jack as he listened to him hum. Jack hummed four different songs to the Time Lord before Martha returned with his tea. 

"That's much better," Martha cooed, handing the Doctor a hot cup of tea. The Doctor reached up taking it from her slowly. He brought it to his nose, sniffing it several times with a frown. "Don't you want a drink. I made it just how you like it. Extra strong with four sugars."

"She is spoiling you," Jack teased him softly as he loosened his grip slightly. The Doctor took a small drink followed by another as he relaxed back into Jack again. Even with the tea he still didn't like this place and just wanted to go home. With his mind calmer he realized he recognized the people from Martha's pictures. They were her family which meant that she trusted them. He didn't have to though. 

"Can Doctor go home?" He asked Jack softly.

"We will go back to the hub in a little while sweetheart. Francine has made us lunch and we are going to spend time her visiting them. I promise that we will be back at the hub before you have to go to bed, though," Jack reassured him softly. He kissed the Doctor on the side of the head. "Do you want to meet the rest of her family now?"

"No," the Doctor whimpered. 

"Are you sure? I think you will like them if you just say hello," Martha told him. The Doctor glared at her. Turning he tried to make himself as small as possible as he curled into Jack's lap. 

"No," he told her again. Jack held him close to him letting the Doctor take comfort for a moment. Then regardless of whether or not he was ready, it was time for him to meet Martha's family. Jack just hoped he didn't panic again.


	40. Chapter 40

Martha gave him only about five minutes to finish calming down before going to get the first member of her family. Playing it safe, she started with Tish. He and Tish had spent a lot of time together aboard the Valiant and if there was any hope of residual memories of her family, it would be with her. He didn't look at her when she first entered the room as he concentrated on making himself as small as possible without spilling his tea. Martha was slightly amazed by his flexibility as he curled into a ball on Jack's lap. As she talked to him, though, he slowly uncurled so that he could look at her. She was still speaking when Francine came into the room offering him a banana muffin. He took it from her hesitantly letting Jack taste it first before refusing to take a bite. He was stopped from throwing it on the floor as Jack sat it down on the table for him to eat later. 

Leo was next, but the Doctor quickly disregarded him as unimportant as he brought no gift for him. Instead, he ignored him as he was given another cup of tea by Martha. Finally, Clive joined them. Out of the four members of Martha's family, they knew that her father would be the most difficult for the Doctor to accept. Ianto sat down on one side and Martha flanked him on the other as Clive entered the room. The Doctor let out a soft whimper at the unknown man but with Jack gently rubbing his back and surrounded by people he trusted he accepted Clive's presence without going into a panic attack. 

As the afternoon went on he migrated off of Jack's lap to sit on the floor with Tish his back still against Jack's legs. Rather than move to the kitchen table, Francine chose to serve lunch in the living room. She had made curry for lunch and that was something the Doctor would normally enjoy he refused to touch any of the food even though Jack knew he had to be hungry. Jack tried to push him into trying a bite, but when the Doctor came close to throwing a fit, he backed off. The Doctor was an adult and he could eat tonight when they returned to the hub. 

With the meal finished, Leo left the room to get a board game settling on scrabble. It was a game that they would never have considered playing against the Time Lord in the past as he could have easily beaten them at it. While the Doctor's vocabulary had improved, it still proved to be a challenge for him. He played simple words, making spelling errors and having to have the others help correct his spelling. Rather than enjoy himself he quickly became frustrated at the game.

"Jack he is starting to panic," Martha informed Jack as she watched the Doctor play the game against her family. Jack was talking to Francine so he didn't notice the Doctor's agitation. From Martha's angle, though, she could see that he was running his fingers through his hair and mumbling to himself, which would have been fine except his eyes had started to glaze over. Usually that meant that he was going to go into a full on panic attack if they didn't intervene.

"He is fine, aren't you Doctor," Clive offered causing the Doctor growled at him.

"I am sure he is, but why don't you sit with Jack for a little bit then you can come back to your game," Martha suggested. The Doctor glared at her lifting his arm to the table. He started to bring it forward to swipe the pieces off but Jack grabbed his arm before he could.

"Hey, don't do that," Jack told him. He pulled the Doctor up of the floor on to his lap as the Doctor began to thrash. "You're alright we are just going to sit calmly on Francine's couch for a moment." Jack reassured him softly. He wrapped his arms around the Doctor holding him tightly against his chest. The Doctor huffed loudly as he relaxed back against Jack. He wasn't quite panicking, but Jack didn't dare release him enough to allow him to start. He kept one hand around the Doctor's waist as he rubbed up and down his chest with the other hand. He picked a song at random to begin humming to the Doctor as the Doctor glared at him. Sighing the Doctor gave into the gentle movement calming down as he listened to Jack. Martha gave him another cup of tea and he drank all of it before Jack released him to play the game again. 

"Well done Doctor. Now it's your turn so if you want to sit down on the floor again I am sure they will help you to finish the game," Martha explained to him. He made a face at her, then slid back to the ground to rest against Jack's legs again.

"S-sorry," He stuttered as he took his seat looking at tiles. No one commented on his panic attack as they all began to play again as if there were no interruption to their game. Jack was personally thankful as he didn't want to see the Time Lord embarrassed because he still couldn't control his emotions fully. It wasn't his fault that the facility had left him reduced in his capability to deal with life.

"He is doing a lot better," Francine commented as watched Jack deal with the Doctor's temper.

"Only during the days. At night he still struggles and if it weren't for the TARDIS calming him down each night I would still have to lock him in the cells to make sure that he wasn't a danger to anyone but himself. Still it is nice to have him falling asleep safe in my arms at night rather than having to force him into the cell as he panics," Jack explained to her. Leaning forward he dropped a quick kiss on the Doctor's head, making the Doctor smile. 

"How does Ianto feel about everything?" Francine wondered as she looked to where the Welshman was talking to Clive as he waited for his turn. 

"He understands that I have to take care of the Doctor. We are trying to make a relationship work but some days are more difficult than others. We found a home that we both liked and that has room for the three of us to live recently. We can't move in though until we finish making renovations that will allow me to restrain the Doctor in a safe environment if necessary. We don't want it to look like a cell though so we are having a bed built into one side and having soft carpet laid down. I considered padded walls for when he slammed himself into them at night, but decided against it. Once we are settled we will also have to move the TARDIS to the house or she will be too far away to help him properly at night," Jack informed her. 

"It sounds as if you have this all figured out," Francine told him happily. 

"I hope so, for his sake. As today proved he doesn't do well in new places. With the three of us living under one roof I am hoping that he will settle down quickly rather than having to fight him. I think he will do better outside of the hub, though. The home is in a nice neighborhood close to a few small shops. Once we are settled I am going to take a month off of work to start getting him back out into the real world as we have let him become sheltered at the hub. He needs to learn how to deal with people again so that he doesn't panic whenever someone new comes around," Jack told her. Before he would never have dreamed of exposing the Doctor to people that he could cause him to panic. With him doing better in the days, though, it was the logical next step in the Doctor's recovery. 

They stayed for another hour at Francine's home before Jack decided it was time to get the Doctor back to the hub if for no other reason than to get food into him. The Doctor was calmer on the ride back as he took an interest in what was happening outside the window of the SUV rather than hiding in Jack's arms. Still his happiness to be in the hub again was obvious as he ran inside and straight to the kitchen for a banana. Jack followed him, making the Time Lord dinner as they settled into the hub for the night. With the excitement of the day, the Doctor ended up in bed earlier than normal, leaving Jack time to explore Ianto's body on the couch in the hub. He pushed Ianto onto his hands and knees kneeling behind him as he moved inside the Welshman. 

Ianto moaned Jack's name as he pushed back to meet Jack's thrust. Jack held his hips tightly as he stilled suddenly. Confused Ianto looked up to see the Doctor standing at the bottom of the stairs staring at the two of them. There was no doubt that he knew what was happening as he tilted his head to the side. Jack remained frozen behind him their bodies still joined as he waited for the Time Lord to react. To his relief, the Doctor didn't seem to care. 

"Can I have tea?" He asked Jack his voice soft and sleepy. 

"I will make you some in just a moment. Why don't you go upstairs and wait for me?" Jack suggested. The Doctor nodded, turning to head up the stairs to the kitchen without further comment. The mood ruined, Jack kissed Ianto softly promising to make it up to him as he dressed. Ianto watched him go wondering if he only imagined the brief glimpse of pain in the Doctor's eyes as he watched them. Deciding against mentioning it to Jack, he dressed as he headed up the stairs to join them.


	41. Chapter 41

Ianto quickly realized that when money was no object it was relatively easy to have a house purchased, fixed up and furnished within a short amount of time. Jack helped a little with picking out the furniture but, for the most part, he trusted Ianto to decorate the home in a way that the three of them would be comfortable living in. His main say was what he wanted in his office as well as the Doctor's room. The Doctor he once knew would have been less than happy to walk into a room decorated with bright colors and while he trusted Ianto not to go to that extreme, he still warned him to keep the Doctor's room simple. 

When the day of the move came Jack made a very big mistake. He chose to move the TARDIS from the hub before moving the Doctor to their new home. The TARDIS was going to be parked in the garage where the Doctor could visit her as much as necessary. While Jack had explained to the Doctor they were moving to their new home, the Doctor panicked as he raced into the main hub to see Ianto, Mickey, and Jack moving the TARDIS.

"Jack, that my TARDIS," He exclaimed unhappily as he ran up to her, trying to shove Mickey away. 

"Sweetheart we discussed this. We are moving to out new home today and we need to take the TARDIS with us," Jack told him calmly grabbing his arm. The Doctor fought him trying desperately to get away from Jack so that he could enter his beloved ship. 

"I need her," The Doctor informed Jack. Jack knew that he needed her and that he would be lost without her. She had provided him with the memories he had lost. She also helped him to keep the thin grip on his sanity at night that allowed him to fall asleep in Jack's bed. He didn't want to go back to pacing the cell at night waking up with strange cuts and bruises that he didn't remember getting.

"I know you need her. We aren't taking your TARDIS away from you. I promise that I will never take her from you, but we need to move her from the hub," Jack explained. It was clear by the way the Doctor continued to fight that your TARDIS were the only words he probably understood. He kicked and screamed louder leaving Jack no choice but to take him down to the cell. 

"No Jack. My TARDIS," He screamed louder as the cell closed behind Jack. He pounded his fist on the cell as he yelled the words over and over again. Jack hurried back up the stairs to where Ianto and Mickey were waiting for him. 

"Let's get her onto the truck as quickly as possible. Once she is there, I will get him from the cell and you can drive us to the house Ianto," Jack told him. Ianto narrowed his eyes in concern. 

"Are you sure that is a good idea, Jack?" He wondered as he thought of the Time Lord panicking in the backseat. 

"At this point it is the only way to calm him down. Even if he calms down on his own, he is going to panic again once he finds his TARDIS is gone. The sooner we get him to the new house the easier it will be on him," Jack responded. Mickey agreed and together the three of the got the TARDIS up to the plas. It was a little difficult to get her onto the truck Mickey had rented, but the three of them managed. Mickey then started towards the house while Jack went to get the Doctor.

The Doctor was still storming the cell yelling. Upon seeing Jack, he kicked the glass unhappily as he continued to scream. Jack opened the cell, the Doctor charged him, not giving him a chance to enter. He pushed Jack aside rushing up the stairs towards the hub. Jack took off after him catching up to the Doctor as he ran around the hub frantically looking for the TARDIS. 

"My TARDIS," He cried out over and over again. He rushed towards Jack, slamming his fist into Jack's chest. "I need her." 

"I know," Jack replied softly. He grabbed the Doctor's arms, spinning him to hold his arms behind his back. The Doctor fought him, but Jack held on as he forced the Doctor towards the SUV. 

"No," The Doctor screamed and, though, Jack couldn't see his face he could hear the tears in the Doctor's voice as he fought harder. He put his legs against the side of the SUV trying to push himself away from it. "Doctor no go," he begged. "I sorry Jack."

"I don't know what is going through your head right now, but you aren't going anywhere, Doctor. We are going home," Jack tried to reassure him as he Ianto grabbed the Doctor's legs helping Jack to force him into the SUV. Jack climbed into the backseat with him, letting go of his arms to wrap his arms around the Doctor's waist.

"Jack, I sorry," the Doctor repeated in distress. Jack made gentle shushing noises as Ianto drove. The trip was thankfully shorter than to Martha's parents. The Doctor stopped fighting him about half way to their new home, sobbing softly to himself. Jack kept telling him it would be alright, but he wasn't sure that the Doctor believed him. Once they arrived at the house, he had to once again force the Doctor out of the SUV. The Doctor tried to rush onto his TARDIS, but he was stopped until she was safely on the ground and just inside the garage. They would move her closer to the inner door once the Doctor was comfortable, he followed the Doctor into find him leaning his head against one of the corals as he hugged it tightly. 

"Do you want to come see inside the house with me?" Jack questioned him. 

"No," The Doctor whimpered not moving. Jack didn't want to leave him alone. Walking up behind the Doctor, he wrapped his arms around him, hugging him close to his body. The Doctor relaxed into Jack's touch as the TARDIS reassured him it was going to be alright. He didn't want to leave her, but she hummed softly at him, encouraging him to go with Jack. So reluctantly he left the safety of her walls, heading into the unknown home. He held Jack's hand tightly as they entered the home. 

Ianto had kept the home simple with a large couch and two reclining chairs around a coffee table in the living room with a telly mounted on the wall. He chose a large table for the kitchen for them to eat at that could be expanded for the holidays. The home had already been filled by Martha so they didn't have to worry about shopping. Jack's office was just as he requested with a large desk, computer and bookcases. There was also a small couch with a telly for the Doctor to relax on while he worked. They moved up the stairs to find three bedrooms.

Ianto's room was decorated with everything from his previous flat, showing his personality while the Doctor's had a few bookshelves, a large bed, a dresser and a chair for him to sit in while he read. Of all three of the rooms, Jack's room was the most basically furnished but had the largest of the beds taking up space. It was perfect for the three of them to be able to stretch out on together at night. Jack smiled, leaning into kiss Ianto as he thought of christening the bed. Jack's eyes were closed so he didn't notice that Ianto kept his open so that he could watch the Time Lords reaction. A dark glare crossed the Doctor's face as they kissed, but it was gone before Jack opened his eyes again to turn to the scowling Doctor.

"What do you think?" Jack wondered about the home.

"Jack mean," The Doctor replied letting go of Jack's hand to crawl up onto the bed. Jack sighed going after him as he wondered what he had done now. Ianto watched deciding that he had no other choice but to talk to Jack tonight about the Doctor's behavior. It wasn't fair for them to keep hurting him when he was obviously jealous of Ianto's relationship with Jack. He wasn't going to break up with Jack to make the Time Lord happy, but he hoped that they would be able to help the Doctor in a way that was comfortable for all of them. 

"Ianto are you coming?" Jack wondered as he held the Doctor against his chest. Ianto nodded. Kicking his shoes off he joined the others on the bed. He laid down behind the Doctor wrapping his arms around him so that he could look Jack in the eyes. The Doctor sighed snuggling down between the two of them to rest. Jack dropped a kiss on his head, then leaned in for another kiss with Ianto. Ianto kissed him softly, as he wondered if they could some how make the three of them work.


	42. Chapter 42

Despite the rough beginning to get the Doctor to their new home and the Doctor's overall restlessness, he managed to make it through the day without having another major panic attack. After resting for awhile, snuggled between Jack and Ianto, he even took to exploring their new home by himself. Jack kept an eye on him as he made his way down to the basement finding the small room that would be his cell if necessary. He willing went in it pacing it for a moment before backing out again to head upstairs. Cautiously he went out onto the back deck on his own and finding the yard fenced in ventured out further. There wasn't much to explore in the yard as they had yet to get the landscaper out. The Doctor didn't mind as he looked around then returned into the home. 

Before he could disappear into his TARDIS, Ianto made lunch for the group. Jack spoiled the Doctor letting him have a banana milkshake with their simple lunch of bacon sammies and crisp. The Doctor thankfully ate without protest before once more setting out on his way to the TARDIS. Jack didn't follow him inside, knowing that she would keep him safe within her walls. Instead, he took the opportunity to pull Ianto aside for a long overdue moment of passion. He tasted Ianto's mouth slowly running his hand down to the front of Ianto's trousers. Pulling Ianto into his office, he laid Ianto on his desk lifting his feet up to his shoulders. He was quick but gentle as he made love to the Welshman finding his release deep inside his body. He made sure that Ianto followed him over the edge as he kissed him softly. Afterword, Ianto lay on the desk spent as Jack collapsed back in his chair. 

"I love you," Ianto panted staring up at the ceiling as he chickened out on talking to Jack about the Doctor. After all, they had just finished making love and it wouldn't be right to bring up the Doctor's jealousy. He could wait until after the Doctor went to bed tonight to tell Jack about the Doctor's behavior.

"I love you, too," Jack responded leaning forward to kiss the inside of Ianto's thigh. Ianto felt a shudder run through his body. He didn't indulge Jack in a second round as they both heard the door opening as the Time Lord came back into the house. His footsteps resonated through the house as he climbed the stairs.

"Jack, I need tea," the Doctor called out. Jack sighed kissing Ianto one last time before pulling his trousers on. He rushed out of the office closing the door tightly behind him. 

"Come back downstairs and I will put the kettle on," Jack informed him. 

"I can't," The Doctor answered back. 

"Why not?" Jack wondered slightly concerned. 

"Loo," The Doctor told him. 

"Once you are done using the loo, I will be in the kitchen waiting with your tea," Jack chuckled shaking his head. By the time the kettle had boiled both the Doctor and Ianto were in the kitchen waiting. Ianto made drinks for them all. The rest of the afternoon was relatively quiet as they settled into their new home. As night fell, though, they were once again reminded that even if the Doctor was slowly getting better he still wasn't able to calm himself down. Being in a new home Jack expected the Doctor to have a bad night. He hadn't napped earlier in the day despite his severe panic attack. He had rested, yes, but then he had paced unable to settle yet in their new home. Despite being exhausted, he fought going to sleep as he paced the living room anxiously. Finally an hour after his normal bedtime, Jack went to him taking him gently in his arms. The Doctor's body was hot against his worrying Jack that once more he was running a fever. He placed his hand against the Doctor's forehead trying to judge his temperature. 

"You should have a nice warm bath before bed," Jack cooed not wanting to medicate the Doctor if it was just his pacing that was making him feel warm. Silently he hoped that the Doctor wouldn't get more aggressive as the night wore on. He didn't want to have to lock the Doctor up in the cell on his first night in their home. 

"No bath, Jack," The Doctor whimpered trying to get out of Jack's arms to continue his pacing. 

"I know you are tired, sweetheart. A bath will help you to relax and then we can curl up in your bed to sleep." Jack didn't give him the opportunity to tell him no again as he took him up to the bathroom. He ran the Doctor a warm bath before helping him to undress. The Doctor reluctantly climbed into the water, only settling when Jack picked up a cloth wetting it. With soothing movements he washed the Doctor's head and chest then had him lean forward to wash his back. As the Doctor relaxed in the water a yawn finally escaped. He was drowsy as helped him out of the tub, drying him with a large fluffy towel. The Doctor didn't assist as he let Jack dress in a pair of soft pajamas. He carried him into his room tucking him in with the duvet they had brought from his old room aboard the TARDIS. 

Though the bed was comfortable and made with blankets from the TARDIS it didn't feel or smell right. He quickly decided he didn't want to stay in the bed, throwing the blanket back. Jack was ready for him. Laying down on the Doctor's bed he held him tightly to his chest, using one of his legs to pin the Doctor against him. The Doctor squirmed as he started to scream fighting to get loose. As the night went on his screams mixed with tears and the occasional whimper as he was unable to settle. There were too many strange new noises that he found it impossible to concentrate on the TARDIS's song. In the hub he had grown accustomed to the sound of water running in the sewers, Myfanwy roosting above them and the low hum of the rift manipulator. Here there was the steady patter of rain against the home as the wind whistled through the trees. Cars splashed on their way to their late night destination as a dog barked. The house creaked and groaned as it settled and downstairs a faucet was dripping.

"Is he going to be alright?" Ianto asked from the doorway after the Doctor continued to refuse to settle.

"He is just not feeling well and having a hard time adjusting to the new house. If he is keeping you awake, you are welcome to sleep in my old bed at the hub," Jack offered knowing that Ianto had to work the next day and it was unlikely the Doctor was going to allow any of them to have a peaceful nights sleep. 

"It isn't his fault he is having a bad night," Ianto responded understandingly. "Would a cup of tea help?"

"At the moment the cup of tea will just end up smashed into that wall. What he needs to do is to sleep," Jack answered. Ianto nodded backing out of the door frame to allow Jack to continue trying to sooth the Doctor. Eventually, the exhaustion overwhelmed the Doctor forcing him into an uneasy sleep. Even asleep he whimpered and writhed in Jack's arms unable to sleep peacefully as nightmares overwhelmed him. Jack stayed with him until he was sure the Doctor was fast asleep, before carefully untangling himself from his arms. As quietly as he could he snuck out of the room going to check on Ianto. He was slightly disappointed to find that the Welshman had fallen asleep, but his disappointment didn't last long as the Doctor announced he was awake again. 

"Jack," he screamed in terror upon waking and finding himself alone. Jack rushed back into his room climbing on the bed to hold him as the Doctor struggled to get out of bed. Jack eased him back into the middle laying down to take the Doctor once more into his arms. The Doctor took a shuddering breath as he buried his head aginst Jack's chest beginning to scream again in deep heart-wrenching sobs. Jack tried his best to comfort the ailing Time Lord hoping that he hadn't dreamed of the Time War. Jack didn't think that the TARDIS would be cruel enough to supply the Doctor with the memories of the war before he was ready to handle them, but he wasn't sure. He also couldn't ask the Doctor or he risked awakening the memories early. So instead he held the Doctor to him letting him cry until finally going silent. He held on to Jack's shirt in his fist staring at the wall as Jack continued to hold him close. Jack would stay with him until morning, not wanting the Time Lord to wake alone and scared again. What he didn't know that he was the source of the Doctor's pain as he dreamed Jack abandoned him in an unknown place to be with Ianto. By morning the dream would be faded but the filling of fear of losing Jack would still be with him.


	43. Chapter 43

As the morning wore on it became apparent that the Doctor had no intention of sleeping again. Giving up on rest, Jack gently coaxed him out of the bed taking him into the bathroom for a shower before Ianto had to get up and ready for work. There was nothing sexual as the two of them stepped under the hot water together. Jack picked up the cloth and soap helping the Doctor to clean, knowing that he didn't wash himself properly when left to his own devices in the shower. The Doctor was practically purring as Jack ran his fingers through his hair massaging his scalp. Jack didn't comment on it as he finished washing the Doctor before cleaning his own body. Turning off the water, Jack had the Doctor go to the sink where he assisted him in shaving before dressing the two of them for the day. After the Doctor followed him downstairs for a cup of tea while they waited for Ianto. 

"Damnit I forgot my phone in your room. Wait here while I grab it," Jack told the Time Lord as they reached the bottom of the stairs. The Doctor nodded sitting down on the bottom step while he waited for Jack to run back upstairs. Jack took a few minutes as he hadn't heard his phone fall off of the bed and onto the floor during the Doctor's restlessness. Picking it up, he hurried back out of the Doctor's room towards the stairs. As he started down them, he saw that the Doctor's position had changed in his absence. He was now laying at the bottom of the stairs with his head rested on the last one. His gentle breathing informed Jack that he had fallen asleep before Jack even reached him. Jack thought for less than a minute about moving the Time Lord before deciding against it. After the long night they had, he didn't want to risk waking him up. He carefully stepped over him on his way to the kitchen placing the kettle on for coffee.

"Is he alright sleeping there?" Ianto wondered as he joined Jack in the kitchen a moment later. 

"He didn't sleep at all last night except for maybe a half an hour. I really don't want to deal with a cranky Time Lord all day so I would prefer we don't wake him unless we have to at this point. He is fine sleeping there as long as we are careful not to trip over him," Jack reassured him with a quick kiss. He kissed Ianto again pulling him closer to taste his mouth. To his surprise, though, Ianto took a step backwards. 

"I think we should talk first sir," Ianto told him. Jack nodded. Crossing his arms, he leaned back against the counter as he waited for Ianto to continue. "It's about the Doctor."

"Are you worried he is going to overhear us because we could always move this upstairs," Jack tried to tempt Ianto, but Ianto sighed. 

"No. I am worried that we are going to hurt him. I don't know if you have realized it Jack, but he is jealous of our relationship. He glares at us whenever we kiss or tries to stay by your side as much as possible to make sure that we aren't alone together. I love you and don't want this to end, but I care about the Doctor. I don't want to see him hurt because he is in love with you and you ignore him to be with me," Ianto explained. Jack sighed. He had also seen the jealousy in the Doctor's eyes on occasion and while he tried to ignore it, Ianto was right, they were hurting him. 

"I have known he loves me for awhile now Ianto. I have seen it in his eyes when he hopes that I will kiss him on the mouth rather than just his cheek. I tried to let him down gently as I am not going to have a relationship with him while he is still dependent on me to take care of him. If the last few months have proved anything, it is that he trust me completely with his life. I am not going to ruin that trust by taking advantage of him," Jack informed Ianto. 

"I'm not saying take advantage of him. The last thing he needs is for anyone else to hurt him. What I am saying is don't be so dismissive of his feelings. He may not be the man who once came to visit you at the hub anymore, but that man is still in there somewhere. He still has feelings," Ianto argued Jack. Jack looked down. He knew Ianto was right, just like Martha had been before. The Doctor didn't need to be hurt by Jack's rejection a second time. The problem was that Jack knew that he couldn't have a relationship with the Time Lord. He had thought about it but too much had changed between them. He couldn't be responsible for causing the Time Lord anymore pain, but he would die before he let someone else hurt him either. If he kept rejecting the Doctor he would eventually leave, seeking someone who wouldn't hurt him. He had no doubt in his mind that the Doctor would come to trust them not to hurt him. That the Doctor would continue to trust them as they removed his clothes, letting them until the moment they pushed into his body. Jack shuddered at the thought of the Doctor crying as their bodies moved together. He couldn't do that to him. 

"I will talk to him," Jack told Ianto after a long moment of silence. He glanced up at the clock. "You should get ready for work." Ianto looked at the clock seeing that he still had plenty of time. He didn't argue Jack, though, as he stepped over the sleeping Doctor on his way up the stairs. He showered then set off for work early realizing that Jack needed time alone. 

Once Ianto was gone Jack moved to his office, leaving the door open so he could keep any eye on the sleeping Doctor. The conversations that he had with Ianto, Martha and the Doctor were playing over and over in his head. He didn't want to spend the rest of eternity breaking the Doctor's heart, but he didn't want to have a relationship with the Doctor while he was hurting either. He wondered if there was some sort of comprise that they could reach. If he was back in the fifty-first century he would be able to have a sexual relationship with Ianto and an emotional relationship with the Doctor without risking hurting either one of them. Would giving the Doctor soft kisses on his mouth really be so bad for the Time Lord Jack wondered. He couldn't believe he was even contemplating it. He needed a distraction. He was supposed to be on vacation, but he couldn't rest. Opening his laptop, he began to work.

-DW-

"Jack?" the Doctor moaned after a few hours. He stood up, stretching his sore body from sleeping at the bottom of the stairs. He didn't even remember going to sleep there. He just remembered being tired and the TARDIS telling him it was alright to close his eyes for a little while. He turned his head around looking behind him for the Captain as he failed to enter the room and he wanted his morning cuddle. "Jack?"

"I'm right here," Jack cooed coming into the room from his office. He wrapped his arms around the Doctor picking him up to take him to the couch. Settling down on it, he cuddled the Doctor to him as the Doctor gripped his shirt. "Once you wake up a little bit we should have lunch. Then you and I are going to take a walk around the neighborhood."

"No," The Doctor whimpered holding Jack's shirt tighter. Jack kissed him on the top of the head. 

"It will be alright. We can't stay in the house all the time and there is a small shop up the street that sells groceries. We can walk up there to get more milk for your tea and we can pick up some bananas as well as pie for dessert tonight," Jack explained trying to tempt him into going. There was plenty off all three in the house already, but Jack figured going to get items the Doctor wanted would be easier than trying to get him to go shopping for than the fact that they actually needed butter. The Doctor didn't give into the temptation as he shook his head against Jack's chest. Jack didn't push the subject as they cuddled. He let the Doctor help him make lunch and together the two of them ate standing in the kitchen. 

The Doctor became distressed once more as Jack put his coat on taking him outside. Though the streets were relatively quiet the Doctor was nervous about being walking so far away from the TARDIS. He moved slowly gripping Jack's hand tightly as every sound made him jump. Jack let him take as long as he needed and wasn't upset by the fact that what should have been a ten-minute walk took the two of them almost an hour. He was just happy that they made it to the shop without any issues. Once at the shop, no amount of coaxing or bribery would get the Doctor to enter. Jack eventually gave up, taking him back home. He would try again tomorrow and every day after that until he managed to get the Doctor inside. 

The walk home took less time and the Doctor happily raced inside, relieved to be back in someplace familiar. He wanted to go back to the hub, but he was beginning to accept that he would have to get used to their new home. He could learn to like it as long as Jack lived there as well. Once home, Jack went back into his office to work and so the Doctor followed him settling down in front of the telly. Jack watched him refusing to sleep again as he focused on his shows. Closing his laptop he went to him. Laying down on the couch with him, he pulled the Doctor to lay against him. The Doctor looked up at him. He kissed the Doctor softly on the cheek and then as if by accident let his lips brush against his for just a moment. He saw the hope flicker in the Doctor's eyes as he laid his head down quickly drifting off to sleep.


	44. Chapter 44

The rest of the day was quiet as the two of them laid on the couch together watching the telly. Jack didn't let the Doctor choose the shows but instead picked shows that would stimulate his mind. Whether the Doctor paid any attention to them was another question as turned so that his face was pressed into Jack's chest snuggling closer to him. He didn't sleep as he traced circles on Jack's side. Jack didn't know what he was spelling, but it didn't matter as the touch was gentle. They laid together until Jack heard Ianto's SUV pull into the driveway. 

"Wait here," Jack told the Time Lord as he carefully extracted himself from his arms. The Doctor sighed at the loss of warmth but didn't fight Jack as he changed the channel to one of his afternoon cartoons. Jack shook his head as he left the office, closing the door behind him. The front door opened and Jack walked up to Ianto taking him in his arms before he had a chance to finish entering their home. 

"I'm sorry about this morning," Jack apologized kissing him deeply. Ianto returned the kiss, using his foot to kick the door shut. "I've given what you said a lot of thought, but I don't know if I can do it. I don't know if I can be the man he needs outside of having to take care of him."

"I am telling you this as a friend Jack," Ianto told Jack slowly and Jack nodded leaning into his embrace. "He's still the Doctor."

"I know he is still the Doctor," Jack replied sounding confused as he pulled back from Ianto. 

"I don't think you do. You look at him and see everything that he has lost and don't see what he has gained back. The fact he is alive and willing to even try to have a relationship with you is a miracle after everything he has gone through. Don't hurt him just because you are afraid," Ianto informed Jack. 

"He needs so much help when he use to be so independent. It's hard sometimes to even look at him, knowing everything that he lost because of that place," Jack admitted leaning against the wall. 

"I know. I talked to Martha about him. She told me that he may stay like this or he may get better, only time will tell, but you dwelling on how he use to be doesn't help him now. Be happy with what he has accomplished," Ianto stated. 

"I am happy," Jack replied almost immediately. 

"You don't sound happy," Ianto responded as he leaned against the wall next to him. Jack rested his head on his shoulder.

"It's just been a long day," He mumbled sadly. "I also don't want to risk hurting you. I love you Ianto and want to be with you for the rest of your life."

"I'm not going anywhere regardless of the decision you make today. I trust you Jack and I love the Doctor. We can make whatever this is work between the three of us. If you are willing to try," Ianto explained surprising Jack. He moved away from the wall leaning into kiss Ianto softly on the lips. He didn't deserve the love or devotion that the Welshman had given him. 

"I am," Jack agreed not sounding that enthusiastic about it. 

"Do you want to tell me what is really bugging you then?" Ianto wondered. Jack sighed as he looked down

"Sometimes I wish that I could use my vortex manipulator to go back in time and stop any of this from ever happening," Jack admitted. 

"No," The Doctor told him as he came into the room and overheard the last part of their conversation.

"You like being like this?" Jack asked him seriously as he looked at the Time Lord. "You like not being able to go off anywhere on your own? Having to be reliant on me to help you get dressed or bathe? What about having to have help to remember that you need to eat and sleep? Or to make sure you don't hurt anyone but yourself when you go into a terror?"

"Still the Doctor," The Doctor replied indignantly as he narrowed his eyes at Jack. Jack stared at him for a moment as he heard the same words that everyone else kept trying to tell him repeated back to him.

"Yes, you are," Jack agreed with him, pulling the Doctor close to him. The Doctor smiled as he hugged Jack back.

"Still love you," The Doctor whispered kissing Jack on the cheek.

"I know. I'm sorry." Jack apologized.

"Do you love me?" The Doctor wondered as he didn't get the response that he had hoped for. 

"Always sweethearts," Jack replied immediately. He looked at Ianto out of the corner of his eyes as he held the Doctor close to him. Ianto nodded with a smile on his face, but as much as he wanted to Jack didn't kiss the Doctor. Instead, he released him taking him into the kitchen to make dinner. After they ate the three of them sat around the table enjoying a cup of tea and a banana cream pie.

"It has been a long day. I am going to go to bed early tonight," Ianto excused himself picking up his plate. 

"I was thinking about going to bed shortly as well if you want to join us," Jack offered. Ianto shook his head no. 

"Not tonight," he responded. He left the two of them alone as he headed upstairs to shower and get ready for bed. Jack finished eating before taking the Doctor upstairs to his room. He helped the Doctor get ready for bed then climbed into hold him while he slept. It was still early in the night, though, so rather than sleeping the Doctor laid his head down on Jack's chest resting against him. Jack stared up at the ceiling trying to get the courage up to properly kiss the Doctor. He was Captain Jack Harkness after all and he had kissed more men, women and plants than he could count. He wasn't sure about why he was so afraid to kiss the Doctor expect that he was terrified he was going to hurt him. 

He was still busy daydreaming when a quick peck to his cheek distracted him. He looked down at the Doctor as the Doctor stared up at him. He watched as the Doctor leaned up again towards Jack's cheek. Jack turned his head slightly as the Doctor leaned forward catching his lips softly against his own. The Doctor quickly pulled away as he looked nervously up at Jack. Jack didn't wait for him to make the next move, tilting the Doctor's head up with his hand on his chin. The Doctor closed his eyes as Jack pressed their lips gently together. The Doctor didn't try to fight for dominance in the kiss as he opened his mouth slightly allowing Jack to explore. Jack deepened the kiss slowly, running his tongue along the Doctor's teeth tasting his mouth. The Doctor tasted just like he always imagined he would of tea and bananas. While sweet it wasn't unpleasant and Jack explored his mouth further. The Doctor responded with a soft moan lifting his hand to stroke Jack's hair. Jack ran his hand down resting it on the Doctor's lower back pulling him closer. They kissed for a long moment before Jack finally broke the kiss. He kissed the Doctor twice more softly before the Doctor pulled away resting his head on Jack's chest with a contented sigh. Jack didn't sleep right away as he lay there holding the Doctor close with the taste of his mouth still on his lips. Hoping he wasn't hurting the Time Lord more, he closed his eyes finally drifting off to sleep.


	45. Chapter 45

Over the next month, the Doctor flourished under Jack's gentle guidance. It seemed all he needed was to be the center of Jack's attention throughout the day to show what he was capable of. He also seemed determined to show Jack that he was able to heal enough to have a healthy relationship with him. Daily the two of them left the house to run errands, from simple things like groceries to going into London to purchase the Doctor a new suit. The Doctor learned how to interact with people he didn't know again, though, he still didn't trust any food that was offered to him. With a lot of gentle coaxing, Jack managed to get him to share a plate of chips at a small restaurant while they were in London, but it caused the Doctor to fit twice before he agreed. 

"Jack, Jack, Jack," The Doctor called out happily as he bounded into the house from where he was exploring the backyard by himself.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Jack wondered coming into the kitchen to see the childlike happiness in his eyes. 

"I found a bug," He announced happily holding out a worm in his muddy fingers. Jack shook his head. 

"I think that will be happier outside again. What do you think?" Jack questioned him as the Doctor stared at the wriggling creature. 

"Yeah," The Doctor replied holding it up to stare at it as he wandered back out the door. Ianto came up to Jack wrapping his arms around him from behind as he kissed him softly on the neck. 

"What was that about?" He wondered. 

"He found a bug," Jack laughed turning to kiss Ianto. He turned into Ianto kissing him deeper as he ran his hand down to his bottom gripping it tightly. Ianto moaned as he pushed his hips against Jack's. They broke apart as the Doctor came running in again without the worm, but his hands still muddy and face flushed from the cold. 

"I need a shower," He told Jack seriously. 

"Do you want help?" Jack wondered. The Doctor nodded and Jack followed him up the stairs. Even if the Doctor was doing better he still struggled with simple daily task leaving Jack to wonder if that was normal and something he would just have to learn to deal with. He had noticed the Doctor's aversion to eating and sleeping back when they first traveled together. Perhaps he just missed that the Doctor failed to shower or dress properly without the TARDIS's help. Jack didn't know and it really didn't matter. He undressed them both helping the Doctor under the hot water. The Doctor washed the mud off his body as Jack helped him to clean his hair. He then turned to Jack pressing his cool body against his, pressing their mouths together. Jack kissed him back softly as the Doctor pressed their bodies closer together. Jack pulled back from him looking the Doctor in the eyes. 

"Do you want to help me wash my back?" Jack asked him. The Doctor nodded kissing him again. Jack turned his back to the Doctor handing him the cloth. The Doctor took it, rubbing Jack's back with gentle movements. He then handed the cloth back to him so they could finish washing. Jack helped him to finish showering, then dress before sending him downstairs to Ianto. Jack finished dressing but didn't set off after him. 

That night he took the Doctor into his room for a change, laying him down in the middle of the large bed. He kissed the Doctor softly as he pulled him so that the Doctor was laying on his chest, his legs between his. The Doctor kissed him back softly as he began to undulate his hips against Jacks. It wasn't the first time the Doctor had tried to be more intimate with him since walking in on him and Ianto having sex. He was slowly wearing Jack down and while he knew that penetrative sex would always be out of the question, Jack was actually considering giving into him. So Jack didn't stop him as he ran his hands down the Doctor's back. They both remained fully dressed as the Doctor moved. He didn't touch the Doctor intimately as he let the Doctor take what he needed. Instead, he lay there kissing the Doctor as the Doctor's hips thrust against own. As the Doctor neared completion, Jack wrapped his arms tightly around him, holding him to his chest. The Doctor tensed letting out a whimper, more of pain then pleasure as he found his release before relaxing against Jack. He sighed the content sigh of a sated Time Lord as he closed his eyes. 

"I love you," The Doctor whispered softly. 

"I love you too sweethearts," Jack responded kissing him on the top of the head. As much as he didn't want to move the Doctor, he also didn't want him to sleep in his mess. He carefully moved the Doctor to the bed, despite his protest going to get a wet cloth and a clean pair of pants. He gently stripped, washed, then redressed the Time Lord before climbing back in the bed with him. The Doctor snuggled up to him, falling into a deep contented sleep. 

-DW-

Christmas came and the Doctor was excited to find that there were presents under the tree as he came down the stairs that morning. Ianto had done all the shopping and wrapping of the gifts determined to make their first holiday together memorable. The Doctor was almost childlike as he dug through the presents looking for ones with his name on them. Even if most of the presents were things he needed like clothes and new shoes, he also received several books as well as his sonic screwdriver back. Of all the presents he was the most ecstatic to see it and promptly pocketed it to keep it from being taken from him again. Jack hoped it was a good idea giving it back to him, but only time would tell. After they finished opening the gifts, Jack made a large English breakfast for them and they ate before setting out to Francine's house for Christmas dinner. 

It had been a month since the Doctor had seen Martha or Mickey as Martha had agreed to stay away unless the Doctor needed medical attention. It had been hard as she was worried about him, but Ianto had reassured her that he was doing better even if he wouldn't go into details about the Doctor's recovery. She trusted that Jack wasn't going to hurt him except for the fact that out of all of them, Jack had been the most lenient with him. Still, she realized that her worries were unfounded as the SUV pulled up to the house and the Doctor bounded out of the backseat without waiting for Jack or Ianto. As Martha opened the front door to greet them he rushed up the stairs, giving her a hug. 

"Jack said there was pie," he informed her. His words were slow and careful, but his words were clear. 

"I said there would be pie after we eat dinner," Jack told him as he came up the stairs. The Doctor made a face at him as he looked into the house. There were a lot of people that he didn't know inside, but there were also nibbles set out on the coffee table. The Doctor took a deep breath heading inside straight towards the table. He made sure that Jack was still where he could see him as he started to examine the food. 

"I can't believe it. I mean look at him," Martha exclaimed as she watched in disbelief. The Doctor wasn't panicking about being in a place surrounded by people he didn't know and was willing getting food that someone else made. He even set it on one of the plates that had been provided rather than just hold it in his hand. 

"He is getting a lot better. I was thinking after the new year of bringing him back to the hub during the day so that I can come back to work. Also, if he continues to do well, we are going to try a short trip in the TARDIS in the next few weeks to see how he does," Jack explained as he went into the house with Martha. The Doctor returned to his side offering him the plate. Jack took it, taking a bite of the food as the Doctor watched on. The Doctor smiled, taking the plate back to start on the nibbles as he looked around the room. 

"Still doesn't trust food?" Martha questioned. 

"No, but I don't blame him," Jack responded. 

"Is there tea?" The Doctor interrupted not caring that they were talking. Martha laughed. 

"Mum just put another kettle on in the kitchen. I am sure if you asked her nicely she will make you a cup," Martha told him. The Doctor smiled and taking his plate went just inside the kitchen where he could still see Jack. "I see he still also doesn't like to be away from you."

"Only in new places or places with other people. When we are home, he spends a lot of time by himself now either in his room, the TARDIS or out back," Jack responded. 

"Jack I need help," The Doctor called out as he tried to get coffee for Jack as well but continue to carry the plate. Jack looked apologetic at Martha as he went to the Time Lord. He took the coffee from him then with Martha the three of them went around the house introducing the Doctor to her family. Unlike with Martha, he didn't really talk to them but offered them a smile as a way of greeting them. The family mingled for awhile before finally sitting down to eat. For dinner he sat down next to Jack, eating everything on his plate, then he even had seconds on the banana cream pie that Francine had made for him. It was only after dinner was done that he showed signs of agitation. He was tired and wanted to go home, but Jack and Ianto weren't ready to leave yet. Martha tried to coax him into a game of chess and he threw the pieces on the floor as he glared at her. 

"Doctor why don't you come sit by me for a minute," Jack told him sternly. The Doctor crossed his arms, turning the glare on Jack. 

"No," He hissed. Jack narrowed his own eyes at him. 

"Now," Jack snipped. The Doctor huffed getting up off the floor and flopped down on the couch next to Jack. Jack wrapped his arm around him holding him close as the Doctor groaned, mumbling to himself.

"How have his panic attacks been lately?" Martha questioned as she sat down on the other side of Jack. 

"A lot better. He has only had two in the last few weeks that have been severe enough to be locked up in his cell. Other than that they are fairly mild compared to the fits that he use to have," Jack answered her. As if to prove Jack wrong, the Doctor started to stand up making Jack pull him back down. He reacted by swinging at Jack, but Jack just grabbed his arm holding him on his lap. "Of course, when he is overly stimulated he still can get violent. We are working hard on his not hitting, though."

"I don't hit," The Doctor mumbled indignantly. 

"Yes you do," Jack argued him. "And once you are calmed down you are going to apologize to Martha for throwing the chess pieces at her. You are then going to clean them up." The Doctor rolled his eyes at Jack but listened to him. As soon as he was calm he stood up. 

"I'm sorry," he apologized. 

"I forgive you," Martha responded. The Doctor then picked up the chess pieces placing them in the box to show he didn't want to play. Knowing the Doctor was reaching the end of his ability to handle the large group Jack made sure they didn't stay much longer. The three of them headed home leaving Martha's family to continue their party. Once home, the Doctor hurried over to the telly to turn on a movie while Ianto settled down on the couch in Jack's arms. The Doctor joined them a few minutes later and snuggled down on the other side of Jack sandwiching him between them. Jack kissed them each on the head in turn as he was content to be their pillows for the night.


	46. Chapter 46

Boxing day was anything but quiet as the three of them stayed home enjoying each other's company. Jack quickly realized that giving the Doctor his sonic back hadn't been the best idea but now that he had it back, Jack was reluctant to take it away again. Still, he had to stop the Doctor from sonicking everything in the house in order to improve its function or just because he was curious of what would happen. To make matters worse, the Doctor found Jack's frustration amusing and found new ways to push Jack throughout the day. Finally, Jack reached his limit. Rather than snap at the Time Lord he went upstairs slamming the bedroom door behind him. 

"Jack's mad," the Doctor informed Ianto matter of factly. 

"I wonder why?" Ianto responded sarcastically. The Doctor shrugged as he poked at Jack's phone with his sonic. He scanned it with the sonic, not changing anything but looking at the data the sonic provided. He hummed with interest as Ianto sighed heading up the stairs to check on Jack. Knocking softly on the door he opened it to find Jack sitting on his bed with his head in his hands. Ianto sat dow on the bed behind him, placing his legs on either side of Jack's body. Reaching up, he gently began to massage Jack's shoulders. 

"That feels nice," Jack mumbled as he leaned forward to allow Ianto to massage his back. 

"I know we were planning a nice quiet day around the house but I was thinking we could go out shopping today," Ianto told him.

"He will just cause trouble if we go out. He is in a mood today," Jack commented with a slight shake of his head. 

"He is just bored," Ianto replied. Jack groaned as Ianto worked a particularly tight muscle. Ianto looked up as the bedroom door opened and the Doctor slinked in. He had Jack's phone in his hand. 

"Sorry," The Doctor mumbled as he held out Jack's broken phone along with his sonic. Jack took it from him, trying very hard not to get angry but not succeeding.

"Go to the TARDIS, I will be there in a minute," Jack told him sternly. The Doctor turned running out of the room. Jack stood up, pushing off of the bed as he forfeited the rest of his massage. "Ianto, get ready to go, then meet us downstairs in about ten minutes."

"Where are we going?" Ianto wondered.

"That is up to the Doctor," Jack informed him. Going downstairs, Jack went out to the garage. He took a deep breath before entering the TARDIS. The Doctor was just inside the TARDIS huddled against one of the corals. He looked up unhappily at Jack as he entered. 

"I sorry Jack," The Doctor repeated clearly agitated. 

"I know," Jack responded leaning down. He still had the Doctor's sonic in his hand and he held it out to him. "I am going to give you this back, but you have to promise me that you won't use it on my phone or my laptop ever again." 

"I promise," the Doctor responded taking it. He put it into his pocket as he still stared hesitantly at Jack. Jack stood up then helped the Doctor to his feet. 

"Ianto thinks that you might be bored so we are going to go on a short trip," Jack informed him. 

"In the TARDIS?" The Doctor wondered happily. Jack stared at him as he considered it. He knew enough about flying the TARDIS that he could bring them back to the house if they got in trouble. 

"Can you drive her?" Jack questioned. The Doctor nodded happily. "Show me." The Doctor rushed to the controls to set them as Jack yelled out the door for Ianto to meet them on the TARDIS then followed him sitting down on the Captain's chair. He watched as the Doctor was slowly checking her to make sure she was ready to go. The Doctor went to pull a lever but hesitated before pulling the one next to it. The Tardis hummed at him so he put the lever back into place then pulled the one he originally wanted to. Though he had many memories of flying the TARDIS the sequence he followed were jumbled in his head. He was trying his best to untangle the memories and the TARDIS was helping him with her patient guidance.

"Are you sure you're ready to do this?" Jack asked him again as Ianto came aboard. He motioned for Ianto to close the doors and he did so before joining Jack on the Captain's chair. 

"Yes, I am ready," The Doctor replied slowly, his speech careful. The Doctor had grown more independent and the man who stood in front of Jack amazed him. He had grown in leaps and bounds over the last month and while the Doctor would never be the same, he was nowhere near the beaten man who had arrived all those months ago.

"Then show us the stars," Jack told him. The Doctor smiled as he pulled the lever, sending them on their way.


	47. Chapter 47

The TARDIS tilted far onto her side sending them all to the ground as the Doctor ran around the controls trying desperately to stabilize her. He fell as he over corrected her sending her to the left. Jack got to his feet as quickly as he possibly could. He made it to the controls hitting buttons and pulling levers desperate to get her back to the normal bumpy ride. The Doctor rushed around him, reaching to turn a knob. A gong sounded before the TARDIS began to shake violently. Jack grabbed the knob, twisting it the other direction as the Doctor fell again. 

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, after all," Ianto complained as he turned green from the bumpiness. The Doctor gave him an indignant look as he pulled himself back to his feet with Jack's arm. 

"Nonsense, this is half the fun," Jack argued, even if silently he agreed with the Welshman. He was just thankful that he had some idea on how to drive the TARDIS as he really didn't want to end up in the middle of a supernova. He stopped the Doctor from falling again as he hit a sequence of buttons on the console. The TARDIS stopped shaking as she finally drifted more calmly along the vortex. Jack breathed a sigh of relief as he moved to the next panel to continue the stabilization process as the Doctor helped. It was strange to be giving the Doctor the directions for a change, but somehow Jack managed to guide him through the landing sequence as they arrived at their destination. 

"So where are we?" Ianto wondered as the TARDIS gave her final thrum. 

"I don't know. Where did you send us, Doctor?" Jack questioned. The Doctor shrugged as he pulled the monitor over so that he could read it. His reaction was instantaneous as he paled backing away from the monitor with wide scared eyes. 

"No, no, no," the Doctor screamed as he went into a full-fledged panic attack. Jack rushed over to him and the Doctor lashed out at him. 

"What's the matter, sweetheart?" Jack wondered as he looked at the monitor. "Shit."

"What is it?" Ianto questioned. 

"We are at the base that held him," Jack explained. 

"We should leave," Ianto told him. To his surprise, Jack reached out pulling the handbrake to keep them in place. 

"Not yet. I want answers before we leave. First, though, I need to find a safe place for him to wait," Jack responded. As he said the words a door to the side of the room suddenly opened. Inside Jack could see it was a small room devoid of anything but what looked like red grass covering the floor. Jack didn't question it as he spun the Doctor to grab his arms behind his back. He half-carried, half-dragged the Doctor to the room placing him inside of it. As soon as the Doctor was released he stormed towards the wall as Jack hurried out of the room, closing the door behind him. 

"We know you are in there Time Lord. Come out with your hands up, before we come in there after you," A voice called from outside the doors. They were bluffing of course as the base didn't have the technology to infiltrate the TARDIS. 

"Can they get in?" Ianto asked nervously as Jack strolled back to the controls. He was just as terrified of the base as the Doctor, having seen the pain they caused the Time Lord. 

"No. I promise you we are safe aboard the TARDIS," Jack reassured him as he dug beneath the controls. He smiled to find that the Doctor still had the extrapolator wired into the main console. He used it to extend the shielding away from the TARDIS. He wanted to talk to the man, but he wasn't stupid. He really didn't want to spend the next few hundred years in shackles dying over and over again as the company exploited his immortality to test drugs that were far to dangerous to begin human testing safely. Setting the extrapolator down, he took Ianto in his arms. "Wait here for me."

"I can come with you," Ianto offered trying to be brave. Jack kissed him softly. 

"I know." With that, Jack went to the doors opening them to reveal several people with guns standing outside the doors. All but one of them took aim as Jack stepped off closing the doors behind him. 

"You are not a Time Lord," the man informed him. Jack narrowed his eyes at the man. 

"You're right and as long as I am alive you will never get your hands on the Time Lord again. He is under my protection as well as the protection of several groups that you aren't even aware of. So how about you forget about the Doctor and instead answer my questions," Jack snapped at the man. 

"What makes you think that you can come to my base and start making demands?" The man wondered. 

"Because I am Captain Jack Harkness and you never answered me about Sky," Jack informed him. The man laughed causing Jack to narrow his eyes further. 

"Kill her for all I care. She is worthless to the base and it will save me the trouble of having her killed once she is returned to us," the leader told Jack. 

"If Sky means nothing to you, then why did you send her to recapture the Doctor?" Jack questioned calling the leader out on his lie. 

"I didn't send her. The Time Lord stopped being of use to me when he quit talking. I would have had him disposed of right then, but Charles had taken a liking to him. Charles asked me..." The man's words were suddenly cut off as Jack no longer cared about changing history. He pulled out his gun putting a bullet clean through the man's eyes before he had a chance to react. Anger filled him at the thought that the only reason the Doctor survived long enough to escape was the fact that his body was being used by Charles. He refused to believe that Charles had helped saved the Doctor. It was another trick of the base and he wasn't going to listen to it anymore. Bullets ricocheted off of the shielding as Jack fired his gun again, and again killing the men on the other side. The men dropped, but not a single bullet made it to Jack. He killed the men then hurried back onto the TARDIS before reinforcements could arrive. 

"He was lying," Ianto told Jack, having heard the entire conversation. 

"Of course, he was," Jack agreed as he programmed the TARDIS to return the home. He released the handbrake sending her on her way. The flight back was smoother and soon enough they landed in the garage of their home. Jack didn't let Ianto leave the TARDIS until he extended the force field to contain their small home. He wasn't going to take any chances on the safety of his loved ones after making the base angry. Ianto left to get cleaned up as Jack went to the room containing the Doctor. He cautiously entered the room to find the Doctor still storming around. His arms were badly scratched and blood covered his tear streaked face as he continued to scream and claw at himself.

"Oh, sweetheart. What have you done to yourself?" Jack asked softly as he moved closer to the Doctor. The Doctor had never taken his anger out on his face before. Fearing the damage he was causing himself, Jack forced the Doctor out of the room. He fought the Doctor all the way to the medi-bay as the Doctor tried desperately to get away from him. The TARDIS once again showed she agreed with Jack as a drawer next to one of the beds opened. Jack managed to get the Doctor over to the bed, finding a pre-filled syringe inside the drawer. He picked it up using his body weight to hold the Doctor bent over the table as he injected the liquid into the Doctor's thigh. The Doctor clawed at the bed, trying to pull himself away. Gradually his movements lessened as the sedative took effect, allowing Jack to pick him up off the floor. Jack laid him on the bed as the Doctor drifted off to sleep. Once he was out, Jack wiped down the Doctor's face thankful to find all the scratches were superficial and the blood had come from his arms. His arms were a different story and he needed several stitches to close the wounds. Jack sutured them himself and then cut the Doctor's fingernails to keep him from hurting himself as badly again. They had grown lax with cutting them when he stopped going to the cells each night and Jack vowed it wasn't going to happen again. 

Stripping the Doctor naked, he washed the Doctor's body scrubbing away the rest of the blood. The drawer opened once more providing Jack with a pair of pants along with a soft pair of pajamas. Jack dressed the Doctor with ease in the light blue clothes. He then lifted the Doctor in his arms carrying him bridal style off the TARDIS. He considered letting the Doctor sleep off the sedative on the couch but thought better of it as he took him up to his room. He tucked the Doctor in, then left the Doctor to sleep as he went to find Ianto. 

"Ianto," Jack began. Ianto looked up from the cup of coffee he was making. 

"Would you like a cup of coffee sir?" Ianto offered reaching for a second cup. 

"I would, but we need to talk about what happened today," Jack told him moving closer to the Welshman. Ianto stepped away as he continued to make Jack's coffee. Jack sighed. "I stand by my decision to kill that man even though I know I lost answers by doing so. I couldn't let him continue to lie to me or the others that were there. The Doctor deserves better than that."

"I know," Ianto responded. "I'm not mad Jack. I understand why you killed him. I would have as well."

"Then tell me what is wrong," Jack begged his lover. 

"I am just worried that they will come after you for killing their leader. I don't want to lose you," Ianto replied.

"You won't," Jack promised kissing him softly. Ianto reciprocated, kissing Jack gently back. They continued to kiss as Jack reached up unbuttoning Ianto's shirt. He unbuckled his belt, sliding down his zipper before reaching his hand into Ianto's trousers to take his member in his hand. Ianto groaned thrusting his hips as he slid his hand into Jack's trousers. Their mouths broke apart as Jack nibbled on Ianto's neck. Jack removed his hand and Ianto did the same starting to turn around. Jack put a hand on his arm to stop him. "I want you."

"Alright." Ianto nodded. Jack dropped his trousers bending over the counter. Ianto entered his body slowly, then grabbed his hips thrusting harder. Jack reached down bringing himself to completion as Ianto moved. Ianto followed him over the edge a moment later collapsing onto Jack's back breathing hard. Jack straightened up, kissing Ianto again with their bodies still joined together. Ianto stayed inside Jack until he felt himself slip out, then headed upstairs to shower. Jack followed him up going to the Doctor's room to check on him. The Doctor was still sleeping soundly due to the sedative and would be for another several hours. Taking the opportunity to sleep before having to deal with the Doctor, Jack went to bed. He was awoken several hours later by the bed dipping as the Time Lord crawled up into it. Jack held his arms up and rather than laying with Jack, he laid across his chest. He kissed Jack on the cheek as he began to undulate his hips. 

"Sweetheart, maybe we shouldn't do this tonight," Jack whispered. 

"Please, Jack," The Doctor begged as he continued to move. Jack cursed himself as he gave into the Doctor. Reaching down, he brushed his hand across the Doctor's groin. The Doctor lifted his hips up, holding himself away from Jack's hands. "No Jack." Jack moved his hands, placing them on the bed. The Doctor lowered his body again thrusting against Jack. Jack let him as the Doctor leaned down kissing him desperately. Jack returned the kiss, tasting the Time Lord's mouth. The Doctor's movements became quicker. He gasped for breath as his body suddenly became tense. He held himself still trying to find his release. When he was unable to he began to move again. He tensed twice more before Jack wrapped his arms around him holding him close to his body. He thrust his hips up to meet the Doctor's allowing the Doctor to finally fall over the edge with another pained whimper. His body relaxed down on to Jack's as his hand drifted up to hold onto Jack's shirt. He gripped it tightly in his fist, not letting Jack up. Jack ran his hand soothingly up and down the Time Lord's back as he tried not to think about what just happened between them.


	48. Chapter 48

Later that night, Jack laid in bed holding the Doctor close to him. The Doctor wasn't sleeping as he laid on Jack's chest just enjoying listening to Jack's heartbeat. He felt sick, but he didn't know why he felt so poorly. The last thing he remembered before waking up in his own bed was landing the TARDIS. His arms burned with pain and had new stitches in them, so he had to have had a panic attack, the problem was he didn't remember why. He had sought Jack's comfort, but now Jack was upset with him. He didn't try to wipe the tears away that flowed freely down his face as he wondered when Jack would give up on him. He was trying hard to be the man that Jack needed him to be. It wasn't his fault his mouth and brain didn't work properly. It also wasn't his fault that he couldn't stand the thought of someone touching him below the waste unless they were helping him to clean. He turned so that he could see Jack's face, but Jack wasn't looking at him. Instead, he was staring out the window.

"I'm sorry, Jack," he apologized. Jack turned to look at him. 

"I know," Jack whispered leaning up to kiss him softly on the lips. The Doctor returned the kiss just as gently. He shifted slightly to get a better angle to kiss him, but Jack put a hand on his back to stop him from moving. He pulled back, looking the Doctor in the eyes. "I love you, Doctor."

"Don't leave me," The Doctor whimpered hearing the unspoken but as Jack trailed off. 

"I'm not leaving you. I know you are trying Doctor, I also know that it hurts you to try. What I don't understand is why you keep coming to me when it hurts," Jack wondered. 

"I love you," The Doctor informed him without hesitation. Jack nodded slowly, considering the Doctor's words.

"I love you, too," Jack replied. He moved the Doctor off of his chest and onto the bed before reaching down. He didn't touch the Doctor intimately but instead helped the Doctor to remove his trousers. The Doctor stared at him. Watching as Jack removed his own trousers then positioned himself above the Doctor. The Doctor whimpered softly when Jack's groin brushed against his own. 

"Jack?" He questioned not sure how far Jack was going. 

"Trust me," Jack told him ready to stop the minute the word no or stop came out of the Doctor's mouth. He moved slowly following the gentle thrust that the Doctor seemed to favor. The Doctor's body responded slowly as he realized that Jack wasn't going to hurt him. He undulated his hips back to meet Jack's thrust. "You like that?"

"Yeah," The Doctor responded, his breath coming out in quicker gasps. Jack leaned down their lips meeting. The Doctor kissed him more passionately while clutching at Jack's back his body tense. Jack amazed himself when he fell over the edge first. Not wanting to be a selfish lover, he then helped the Doctor find his release unhappy to hear yet another pained whimper. He didn't collapse down but instead rolled them so they were laying on their sides facing each other.

"Does it hurt when you cum?" Jack questioned, running his hand down the side of the Doctor's face. The Doctor shook his head no. Jack believed him, vowing silently to himself to help the Doctor learn to enjoy sex again. He cuddled the Doctor close, throwing a leg over his to keep him close. They both needed to shower, but for now, Jack just wanted to hold him. 

-DW-

"I've decided that I am sending Sky to a prison colony on the outskirts of the Luna system," Jack announced the next day at the morning meeting. It was his first day back to the office in a month and he was pleased to see that everything was still running properly. After his accidental return to the base the day before, he decided it would be best to warn his team about the possibility of a counter-attack. He didn't think it was very likely since the base didn't currently have the technology to time travel efficiently, but he had been wrong before. Upon his return, he was happy with his choice of leaving Gwen in charge and knew that he could rely on her again in the future if necessary. Still it was nice to be back within the hub as he didn't realize how much he would miss the place until he wasn't there. 

"Are you sure that is wise?" Gwen questioned. 

"The colony is the only one that I know of that is designed to help people rehabilitate into the universe. They will help her overcome her new disability and in a few years, she may even be declared fit enough to move into one of the encampments on the planet. There she will be allowed to have a family and live out the rest of her life without spending it in a prison cell," Jack explained. With her involvement with helping Charles recapture the Doctor, he would have been more than happy just to kill her. It was only because of Ianto that he was allowing her this opportunity to live. Ianto thought that there was some good in Sky, even if Jack had been suspicious of her since the moment that she entered his office. Still, Ianto believed that she had just been led down the wrong path in life and Jack hoped that the colony would help set her straight. 

"I want to examine her before you set off. I am also going to need to pass her current medical information on to the colony's doctor. Do you know when you are going to take her?" Martha wondered.

"I am going to have the Doctor take me there. So once he is feeling better and willing to drive the TARDIS again we will set off." The Doctor looked over at them from where he was lying on the couch. Deciding it was nothing important he went back to trying to sonic a dot off of the ceiling. He was sure that it wasn't a dot at all, but a spider that had sought the warmth of the building. Rather than standing up to get a closer look, though, he instead tried to figure out if he had a setting on his sonic that would make it move. Jack watched him for a moment, then shook his head turning back to the meeting. They discussed current business and items that came through the rift. It was back to business as usual in the hub as not even ten minutes later the rift alarm sounded reminding them that the Holidays were over and there was work to be done. 

"Do you mind if I go to help retrieve the artifact?" Jack questioned the Doctor, eager to stretch his legs. 

"No," The Doctor responded still staring up at the ceiling. Jack dropped a kiss on the top of his head then rushed out the door to join the others. Martha sat down on the edge of the couch next to the Doctor and looked up at the dot that he seemed so interested in. 

"I don't think that spider is alive Doctor," She commented. Looking at the Doctor, she realized he didn't care as once more he changed the setting on his sonic. "You don't really care about the spider do you? So, why don't you tell me what is really bothering you." 

"I'm the Doctor," The Doctor informed her, turning his eyes to look at her. Martha's brow furrowed in confusion at his words. He sighed. "Jack wants me to be me. But I don't know how."

"He understands that Doctor. He loves you regardless of whether or not you need or even want his help. You seemed happy the last time I saw you with him. Did something change?" Martha questioned in concern. 

"He wants sex like with Ianto," The Doctor commented. 

"Does he now?" Martha couldn't keep the anger out of her tone. The Doctor quickly sat up putting his hand on her arm. 

"I want sex too, but I can't," He quickly explained to her. He hung his head. "It hurts."

"Has he tried to have sex with you?" Martha questioned, trying to keep her voice even but ready to kill Jack. The Doctor shook his head no, except Martha wasn't sure if she believed him. She thought Jack was smart enough not to traumatize the Doctor any further. Now she was questioning if leaving them alone for a month had been the right choice after all. She tried to push the anger aside for the moment as she focused on helping the Doctor. "Then when does it hurt?"

"After," The Doctor told her, not really answering her question. She sighed. 

"When you ejaculate?" She asked him, he nodded. "Does it hurt when you pee as well?" Again a nod. Martha took his hand pulling him to his feet. He followed her willing down to the autopsy room. She ran several test on him, including drawing blood and having him pee in a cup. By the time that the others returned from retrieving the artifact she was positive that he had a urinary tract infection. She had to test to make sure it didn't spread to his kidneys, but she was hopeful that it had been caught early enough to avoid any complications. She started him on antibiotics, then left him to rest as she went out to intercept Jack. 

"I need to talk to you in your office, now," Martha seethed, resisting the urge to hit him.

"What happened?" Jack questioned as Martha stormed towards him. He looked around for the Doctor as he followed Martha up to his office, closing the door tightly behind him. Martha turned on him.

"I swear I am close to removing him from your care and I will depending on how you answer my next question. I need to know. Did you have sex with the Doctor?" Martha questioned her voice soft but filled with anger. Jack leaned against the door crossing his arms. 

"We did, but not in the way you are obviously thinking. He came to me several times trying to get me to sleep with him. I kept stopping him because I didn't want to hurt him. He kept trying though and each time he seemed more desperate so finally I gave in. We had frottage sex, that's it. No touching, no penetration, just kissing and rubbing," Jack explained to her.

"Did you really think that was a good idea?" Martha wondered still angry.

"After he used my body to pleasure himself twice?" Jack practically yelled back. Martha paused surprised at his statement. "Don't get me wrong, I know he isn't ready for sex. He isn't emotionally able to handle it as he proved when he wouldn't let me touch him and didn't care whether or not I got pleasure from it as he rubbed about against me. I couldn't just lay there again and let him use me. So yes I had frottage with him to remind him that it could be pleasurable to both parties and not just himself."

"I'm sorry Jack, I didn't know," Martha apologized. She explained her short conversation with the Doctor and the fact that he had a UTI to Jack. "Did you notice that it hurt him?"

"Yes, but he lied to me when I asked him about it though," Jack answered her. "Can I see him?"

"He is in the autopsy room," Martha sighed. Jack opened his office door going down the stairs. He didn't look at the others as he hurried to the Doctor's side.

"Why did you lie to me?" Jack questioned as he tried to understand.

"I don't know," The Doctor responded. He went to turn his face away from Jack. Jack didn't let him with a gentle hand on his chin. 

"I'm not mad sweetheart. I just want to know why," Jack tried again. 

"I don't know," The Doctor replied once more. Jack released him, leaving the autopsy room. 

"Will you make sure he gets home safely tonight, Ianto?" Jack asked as he walked past the Welshman. 

"Of course. Where are you going?" Ianto questioned. 

"Out," Jack said as he closed the hub door behind him. He desperately wanted to get drunk and forget and he knew just the place he could go.


	49. Chapter 49

Yet, as Jack walked approached the familiar bar near the hub, he found himself walking past it instead. As much as he wanted to get drunk and forget everything that happened he couldn't. In the past at the familiar haunt, he had found not only alcohol, but one night stands. It would be simple to go inside drink, get laid, and remind himself that he was Captain Jack Harkness. Except that he couldn't do that to his lovers. He had two men waiting for him that trusted him to keep them safe. He would never forgive himself if either one of them picked up a disease because he was careless. So, he kept walking. He didn't think of where he was going as he just kept putting one foot in front of the other desperate to keep moving as he tried hard not to think about anything but his breathing. He was failing miserably though as his thoughts revolved around the Doctor and Ianto. He wasn't sure how long that he walked for before his phone rang startling him. Pulling it out of his pocket revealed several missed messages and one missed call from Martha. He didn't have time to call her back before his phone began to ring again. 

"Hello?" He answered. 

"Where are you?" Martha wondered. She had been worried when he left the hub alone asking Ianto to look after the Doctor. She had given him a few hours to calm down before deciding to go check on him and try to coax him home. Except that, she had already checked the local bars and no one had seen him. 

"I don't actually know," Jack admitted, looking out into the unfamiliar area. "Is everything alright at the hub?"

"Fine. The rift has been quiet for a change and so have the weevils. The Doctor still isn't feeling well so Ianto took him home a few hours ago for the night," Martha explained. 

"How is he?" Jack questioned. 

"He is fine in Ianto's care for a few hours. I am more worried about how you are at the moment," Martha replied. Jack sighed. 

"I'm fine. I just needed to get away for a few hours," Jack told her. 

"Do you need a ride home?" Martha questioned. 

"If you wouldn't mind," Jack laughed. He wasn't lying to Martha and really didn't know where he was. He used the GPS on his phone to find his location then sat down to wait for Martha. When she arrived, he climbed into the SUV expecting to be lectured for taking off. They didn't talk about his absence, though, as she took him back to the hub to get his SUV. He then he drove home pulling into the driveway of the darkened house. He hurried up the stairs unlocking the door to find that Ianto was sitting on the couch in the living room watching the telly. 

"You're home," Ianto smiled as he turned to see who was coming inside. 

"I am. Sorry, I was out so long," Jack apologized. Ianto didn't stand to greet him and getting closer Jack saw why. The Doctor was curled up on the couch sleeping peacefully with his head rested on Ianto's thigh. He had a blanket covering him up to his neck, but one hand stuck out of the top holding loosely onto Ianto's trousers. "How is he?"

"Miserable. The medicine he is on is making him feel tired. He fell asleep twice at the hub before I brought him home. The first time he woke up, he wouldn't let us comfort him as he looked for you. The second time we cuddled, but he wouldn't calm down, so I brought him home," Ianto explained. He didn't tell Jack that the Doctor had bounded up the stairs expectantly only to become upset when he found that Jack wasn't home. He had let Ianto take care of him and help him change into his pajamas before the two of them settled down on the couch together. 

"I can take over now, if you would like," Jack told Ianto. 

"I don't mind holding him for awhile," Ianto replied. Jack smiled, sitting down on the arm of the couch to wrap his arms around Ianto. Ianto leaned into his touch resting his head against Jack's chest as Jack dropped a kiss on the top of his head. He didn't deserve Ianto's love or devotion, but he loved the Welshman with all his heart. 

"Marry me?" Jack asked not thinking about the words as he said them. Ianto pulled away looking at him confused.

"What?" Ianto questioned. Jack stood up dropping to one knee in front of his lover. 

"Ianto Jones, will you marry me?" Jack asked again. Ianto smiled.

"Yes," He responded without hesitation. Jack barely kept himself from cheering as he jumped to his feet pressing his lips to Ianto's. They kissed deeply as Jack thought about taking him on the couch. They couldn't with the Doctor sleeping, but it was still a nice thought. Breaking away to breathe, he saw that the Time Lord's eyes were now open. He was watching the two of them with a glint of happiness in his eyes. Jack looked at him questioningly and the Doctor nodded with his head still on Ianto's leg. Knowing that he had the Time Lord's blessing, he once more pressed his mouth to Ianto's.

-DW-

Jack and Ianto stood in front of the small group of their family and friends. In the front row, the Doctor sat beside Martha watching his lovers say their vows. He was fidgeting, eager to enjoy the nibbles and cake that Francine had made for the wedding, but he waited patiently for the ceremony to be over. 

"You may now kiss your husband," The Pastor announced. Jack smiled leaning in to press his lips to Ianto in almost a chaste shy kiss. Ianto laughed, kissing him more forcefully as the group cheered. "Ladies and Gentlemen I present to you, Jack and Ianto Harkness." They stood in front of the crowd holding hands as the group gathered around them to offer them their congratulations. The Doctor forced his way to the front to kiss Jack softly followed by Ianto. 

"Can I have nibbles now?" He asked Jack causing everyone to laugh. 

"Go," Jack gave him permission and the Doctor bounded off happily to the trays. In the morning, he would be using the TARDIS to take Sky to the prison encampment before dropping Jack and Ianto off at a small resort for their honeymoon. While he wouldn't actually be joining them on their honeymoon, he would be staying in the same resort a few doors down as he still wasn't well enough to drive the TARDIS alone. That was alright with him, though, since once they returned he would be sharing their home and bed once more. Ianto kissed Jack softly on the cheek, then went to help the Doctor with his two plates of food as Jack watched on. Going over to his lovers he wrapped his arms around them from behind. 

"Nibble?" The Doctor questioned, placing a small piece of chicken against his lips. Jack accepted it, taking the Doctor's fingers into his mouth along with the food. The Doctor made a face wiping his hand off on Ianto's suit. 

"Hey," Ianto protested, causing them both to laugh. Jack kissed them both on the sides of their head in turn. It had been a long year for everyone involved in the Doctor's care, but things were finally starting to settle down again. Well as much as they could in his busy life. Not only was he a husband now, but he still had Torchwood to run and the Doctor to care for. Even if the Doctor was surprising them all with his progress, he still had daily therapy sessions to help his speech and independence. Only time would tell if he would ever be able to travel on his own again, but that didn't matter as Jack had no plans to leave his side. He would take care of the Time Lord for as long as necessary and love him longer than that. Despite everything that happened, it was at the moment that he realized for the first time in a long time, he was truly happy.


End file.
